Perak And The Malays: Sarong And Kris

PERAK AND THE MALAYS.

1NCHE MA1DA, PRINCESS Of PERAK, HER HUSUAND, NAK.ODA TRONG,

AJSJD

AT1ENDAN1S.

PERAK AM) THE MALAYS "SARONG" AND "KRIS."

MAJOR FRED. McNAIR (Late Royal Artillery)

COLONIAL ENGINEER AND SURVEYOR-GENERAL, STRAITS SETTLEMENTS LATE OFFICIATING H.M. CHIEF-COMMISSIONER, PERAK ; FELLOW OF THE LINN^AN SOCIETY, ETC. ETC. ASSOCIATE INSTITUTE CIVIL ENGINEERS.

MALAY WOMAN.

Illustrate!) toith thirteen (Engrvtbtngs

bg |. Anight, from ^hotogwyhs taken

tj)

the Author.

LONDON:

TINSLEY BROTHERS,

8,

CATHERINE STREET, STRAND. 1878.

[All Rights of Translation Reserved.]

CHARLES DICKENS AUD EVANS, CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS.

PREFACE. BEING

in

England on a few months' leave of absence,

my

for the purpose of recruiting

health, after a severe

attack of jungle fever, contracted in Perak, to

me

that a brief account

unknown country and

its

of that

it

occurred

comparatively

people might not be alto-

gether unacceptable to the English reader.

This Malayan State,

it will

be remembered, came

into public notice in 1875-76, through the

there of the British Kesident,

murder

and the despatch by

our Government of a combined naval and military force to exact satisfaction for the outrage.

As

I

accompanied the Governor of the Straits

Settlements on his progress through the country just prior

to

the disturbances,

and was

also

with the

force subsequently sent there, I enjoyed exceptional

opportunities myself, in

for

observation,

of

which

making the notes which have

embodied in

this work.

I

availed

since been

PREFACE.

vi

say in addition, that

may

I

my

general knowledge

manners and customs of the Malays has been

of the

acquired during a residence of over twenty years in the Straits Settlements.

am

I

indebted to the Eeports which have been

made from time Government and

also for

them

my

to time

by the various

for the confirmation of

much

officers of

my xDwn

opinions,

valuable information gleaned

in portions of the country which

good fortune to

the

it

by

was not

visit.

For much of the past history of the Malays

I

have

consulted the works of Crawfurd, Newbold, Loubere, Pritchard,

Moor's

"

Pickering,

Vincent

;

these being

among

the principal autho-

that have treated of the origin and progress of

this peculiar is

Dr.

Notes on the Archipelago," and the Colonial

State Papers rities

Marsden, and

and wide-spread race

;

while, as the

work

intended for general reading, I have thought

better to omit all scientific terms.

it

CONTENTS. CHAPTER L Perak

a river

Coast-line

its tributaries

Bukit Berapit

PAGB

A

run up Extent of the country Malays and Chinese The river and

Preliminary sketch

Gounong Pondoh

Geographical features Absence of roads

CHAPTEE

1

II.

Lakes

Climate

Elephant-tracks Navigable rivers logical features

Geo16

CHAPTER

III.

Mineral productions Graphite Galena Antimony IronTin and tin-mines Gold and gold-washing Deserted 25

workings

CHAPTER The ancient knowledge and the peninsula peacocks

IY.

of the mineral productions of

Perak

Solomon's ships Gold, apes, and Opinions of early writers Ophir

CHAPTER

Y.

Yegetable productions Ferns Timber-trees Indiarubber ... Yaried foliage Flowers Palms Bamboos ...

CHAPTER Fruits

:

The durian Cashew

fruit

Mangosteen

Yegetable-food

Kachang Indigo Cinchona

supply

Curries

47

YI.

Shaddock

Nam-nam Wholesome

CHAPTER

39

Ananas

Bread-

nature of

fruits...

59

YII.

and

their

preparation

-

The gourd family European vegetables Herbs Pepper Gambier Sugar Coffee Tobacco Rice-growing

and poisonous plants

Clearing the jungle

Medicinal

65

CONTENTS.

viii

CHAPTER YIH. PAGE

Noxious animals

The python

Yarieties of serpent

Leeches Govern-

The tortoise and turtle Dangerous sauriaiis ment rewards Fish and fishing Yarious methods

CHAPTER Sea-fish

Delicacies for the

Shell-fish

and pearls

The skipjack

table

...

7$

IX.

Condiment and caviare The Malay fisherman

Coral-groves

The kaylong

86

CHAPTER, X. Insect pests Strange beetles The leaf insect Tartar Fine field for the entomologist

CHAPTER Birds

:

The argus -pheasant Peafowl The peacock

hatching Talking birds Birds of prey

Coo-ey

A 94

XI. "

"

Fireflies

Fatal crowing

Quail

Old Testament Artificial Pets Humming and sun birds

of the

99

CHAPTER XH. Malay

and their domestication The elephant Deer The Malay bear Black leopard Tiger and Monkeys Domestic animals

buffaloes

Wild-boar trapping

CHAPTER

112

XIII.

of Perak Bugis Korinchi Rawa and Mandeling Cannibalism The Malay Wild tribes Jacoon, or Sakai Diseases

The people

3

CHAPTER

130'

XIY.

The Sarong Dress of the Bugis Dress of the Malay ... European costumes Ornaments Coquettish toilets

Dress

144

CHAPTER XY. The

Perak Inhabitants Causes of depopulation Extent of population Bird-scaring Malay dwelUntidy habits Bathing House-building Chinese

villages of

War lings

and convict labour

155

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

XVI.

Inche Maida House-building Campongs Picking cocoa-nut Preparations Poultry Sambals ...

CHAPTER Pood Tobacco Opium- smoking Domestic implements Arak '

Gold

...

Betel-chewing Toddy Dammar Metal-work

177

CHAPTER Debt - slavery

Chinese tallymen

British influence

XVIII. Slave - hunting

Difficulties of

CHAPTER The Malay character Palembang

167"

XVII.

...

filigree

ments

the

PunishResidents ...

190

XIX.

Dealings with chiefs

Mr. Muntinghe

at

201

CHAPTER XX. Ideas of creation

Propitiatory offerings Superstitions version to Islamism

CHAPTER Religious ceremonies

Wedding-feasts

Sacrifices

Funerals

kris

:

Sizes

of state

Damasking The klawang

218

XXI. Marriage

Salutation

CHAPTER The

Teeth-filing

Polygamy

CHAPTER Swimming The national

Games

:

. . .

231

XXII.

The execution kris The sword The parang The limbing

Poisoned arrows Spear of state Blowpipes Matchlocks Lelahs Stockades

Music

Con-

Firearms

238

XXIII.

Ball-play

Chess

Cock-fighting 260-

sport

CHAPTER XXIV. Seafaring

Boat-building

Little

Mercy

The dragon boat

Piratical craft

Sampans

Praus 269

CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE XXV. PAGE

A native's

The Jugra piracy execution kris

An

evidence in a native court execution The Sultan on piracy

The .

.

.

282

CHAPTER XXVI. Taxation and tolls The Sultan's slavesSultanas Court observances The royal family Ancient descent Vanity and superstition Malay document

Titles of chiefs

A

.

.

.

290

CHAPTER XXVII. The Malay language Its origin Connection with Arabic Rhymes and poetry, proverbs and sayings Love songs Literature

Quaintness of expression

Letter- writing

A 30$

Malay interpreter

CHAPTER

XXVIII.

Menang Kabau Migrations Arab associations Cinnamon Early trade in spices Malays in Madagascar The Aurea Chersonese Opinions of the ancients

Ancient history

319

Voyagers of the past

CHAPTER XXIX. Voyages to the East Diaz Vasco di Gama The Eastern passage Sumatra The Acheen king Malacca First mention of Perak Treaty with Siam

First migrations

332

Disturbances

CHAPTER XXX. The Laroot

The Muntri

riots

Andrew Clarke Chinese

Fresh disturbances Rival Insult to our flag Sir Plans for pacifying Disarmament of the

British intervention

factions

Chiefs' disputes

Proposal for Residents

...

348

CHAPTER XXXI. The Pangkore

treaty

Deposition of Sultan Ismail

Sultan

Abdullah Mr. Birch's appointment Troubles with the Sultan His reproof by the Governor The proclamations The murder of Mr. Birch Lieutenant Abbott and Mr.

Swettenham

at the Residency

...

361

CONTENTS.

xi

CHAPTER XXXII. PAGE

Eepulse Burial of Mr. Birch and ReProceedings of the Government Captain Innes nforcements from China Capture of Passir Sala Mr. Birch's dragon boat Troops from India Proceedings of the northern column Qualla Kungsa and Kota Lamah

The attack on Passir Sala

375

CHAPTER, XXXIII. Blanja The march through the jungle Stockade-fighting Capture of Kinta Flight of Ismail The Terrachee valley The stockades at Bukit Putoos SupCaptain Channer's attack The rising at Klang

The southern column

389

pression of the revolts

CHAPTER XXXIV. The

capture of Ismail Escape of Maharajah Lela Taking the Datu Sagor Charges against Abdullah Arrests of the chiefs Their transportation The Perak regalia ... of

404

CHAPTER XXXY. Hints to settlers The climate Safety of life and property Diseases to guard against Health Supplies Sport Food A Christmas dish Dress Itinerary of the Ulu, or Upper Perak country

414

CHAPTER XXXYI. An

Mount Ophir from Malacca The hot springs Chabow On the track Night in the jungle Campingout Gounong Padang Batoo Tondoh Cry of the argusThe Ledang The view from the summit pheasant

ascent of

descent

A fine

field for

the naturalist

426

CHAPTER XXXVII. The

future of Perak tion

Capital

The food supply

and labour Advance in civilisaConvict labour Malay saying

Policy with the people

Brooke

A

Civilised Malays

Wheeler Woodford Birch

Sir

James ,

444

LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS.

1NCHE MAIDA, PRINCESS OF PERAK, HER HUSBAND, NAKODA TRONG, AND ATTENDANTS Frontispiece

MALAY WOMAN

Vignette TO FACB PAGB

CAMPONG ON PERAK RIVER

57

PERAK ELEPHANTS "WILD TRIBES OF PERAK,

117

OR " SAKAIS."

138

RESIDENCE OF PRINCESS OF PERAK AT QUALLA KUNGSA

169

PERAK CHIEFS AND ATTENDANTS

201

GENERAL ASPECT OF A MALAY VILLAGE ON A RIVER BANK

...

229

THE RESIDENT'S BOAT

273

EX-SULTAN ABDULLAH AND CHIEFS OF PERAK

297

SITE OF

THE GRAVES OF MR. BIRCH AND CAPTAIN INNES

JUNCTION OF KUNGSA AND PERAK RIVERS AT QUALLA KUNGSA 'ffHE

PRESENT RULER OF PERAK

RAJAH YUSUF

377 ...

421

AND HIS TWO SONS

444

SARONG" AND

CHAPTER

it -r-r

KRIS.

I.

Extent of the country A run up a Malays and Chinese The river and its tributaries Geographical features Gouuong Pondoh Bukit Berapit Absence of roads.

Perak

Preliminary sketch

river

IT

is

when

Coast-line

hardly too mucli to assume that, prior to 1875, the sad news reached England of the rising of a

people under British protection, and the murder of Mr. Birch, the state of Perak was, to the majority of people, a

tewa

incognita.

They knew,

of

Malay peninsula was a long tongue of land stretching nearly to the equator, and that it was in close proximity to Sumatra and Java, with course, that the

innumerable islands generally known as the Malay archipelago but saving those interested in the British ;

Singapore, Malacca, and Penang it may be taken for granted that few people were aware that a large and rich territory, ruled over by a

Straits Settlements

sultan and his petty chiefs,

had been,

so to speak,

SARONG" AND "KRIS." placed under the wing of the British Government, whose representatives, under the name of residents

and

assistant-residents,

to counsel

and advise

were at the court of the

for the better

ruler,

management

of a

country whose people were suffering from anarchy and misrule.

Picture this tropical land

:

Not a sun-baked region

of parched desert and insufferable drought ; but a rich moist country, almost touching the equator, but rarely a land of eternal suffering from excessive heat ;

summer, where refreshing rains fall where the monsoons blow regularly where the frightful tempests ;

;

of the east are part, covered

of a fertile

unknown

and which

;

is,

most

for the

with a luxuriant vegetation, the produce

soil.

This Perak

pronounced as though spelt Payrah is one of the largest of the native states into which the

Malay peninsula coast,

having

is

divided,

and

upon the western

lies

there, for its ninety miles'

boundary-

the bright prau-traversed waters of the Straits of To be geographically accurate, its bounMalacca.

line,

daries states

north, south, of

Quedah

and

east

or Keddah,

may

be named as the

which in the native

an elephant-trap Salangore PaThese are all native states, hang, and Tringanu. whose rule and people are very similar to those of the

language

signifies

land in question. Perak signifies

;

silver

a name given to

the abundance of that metal, for

its

;

it

not from

existence has been

PERAK. but probably from the vast amount of silvery-looking tin which has been, and promises still

little

to

traced,

be,

one for

roughly

of

its

we

principal

are

yet

sources for our knowledge of

Taken

productions.

dependent

upon native

unsurveyed boundaries the depth inland of the state is about forty-five miles, thus giving an area of somewhere about its

4000 square miles, of a land metaphorically flowing with milk and honey; but badly ruled, thinly inhabited, poorly cultivated, and asking the direction of Western capitalists, and the busy hands of the Chinese

people to the sun.

make

it

one of the most productive under

The nature of the country may be seen if we take a rapid glance through it by means of its great waterway, the Perak river, which intersects the wide central plain from north to south, and fairly divides the state,

having west the fertile lands reaching to the sea, and on the east the gradually-rising country to the central the backbone, or watershed, of ridge of mountains the whole peninsula whose mineral resources are

only

known from the

rich treasures in gold

and

that have been, in the course of ages, washed into the alluvial lands.

tin

down

Sailing, steaming, or even paddling up one of these Perak rivers, we have on either hand, if the

tide be

down, the regular mud-banks of a tropical

shore, with the dense its

mangrove

up in nature had

forest standing

labyrinth of water-washed roots, as

if

B 2

SARONG" AND set the example, followed

by

"

tlie

KRIS: dwellers in the land,

of building a rough scaffold, on which to support the If, on the tree-trunks, high and dry above the flood.

and

the mangrove forest seems to be growing directly out of the river, The the stream passing unhindered among the roots. silence is solemn in its intensity ; for, save the plashing contrary, the tide be up, right

left

of the water to paddle or screw, not a sound is to be heard, and the traveller seems to be penetrating into one of nature's unexplored retreats, as he looks in

vain for some trace of

life

beside that of the dense

vegetation on either bank. At last he sees it in the shape of a white eagle, gliding with silent wing athwart the stream ; and

suddenly, from some exposed mangrove root, there is a flash of blue, and, like a vivid azure

farther on,

streak,

away

darts a kingfisher, one of the brilliantly-

feathered birds of the country, disturbed while waiting for its gorgeously-scaled prey. As the light-winged

bird disappears, and the eye is still filled with its beauty, the ear is at last saluted with a sound to

break the utter dull

heavy

amidst the

stillness of the river, for there is

splash,

mud

an eddying in the water,

or

mangrove

roots, a

huge

as,

a

from

alligator

rushes into the stream, the traveller being, perhaps, in time to see a portion of its rugged, muddy-hued,

loathsome body ; and he may be fortunate enough to see, just upon the surface, the two hill-crowned eyes

and long snout of some other

reptile, the

head turning

PRELIMINARY SKETCH. slightly

from side to

side, as its

owner sends a shudder

through the spectator, who knows that the monster on the watch for prey.

is

As

the boat glides on and on, beyond the tidal the influence, the character of the forest changes :

mangroves give place to jungle growth, and on either side, columnar and beautiful, rise the stately growths of palm, with trunks and tufted heads.

Suddenly the

first

their

trace

of

wondrously-straight

human

habitation

appears, in the shape of a Malay campong or village a cluster of houses of bamboo and other wood, in

a grove of cocoa-nut palms and other fruit-trees. The huts are raised on posts, so as to be beyond the reach of flood

woven

and noxious

sides of split

beast,

and look neat with

bamboo

their

or reed, while their roofs

are thatched with attap, an arrangement of the palmleaves, that grow close at hand. If the

campong be of any

extent, there

is

probably secured to bamboo posts, or run up safely on the mud, are the boats of the people. These boats play a prominent part in the daily life a mosque

;

while,

roughly speaking, Perak is now a land of jungle, and its rivers are the highways, upon which its villages are built ; while its roads are only of the

Malay

;

for,

a few elephant-tracks but little used, and pathways through the jungle known to the country people alone.

Continuing our course either up the main stream

"SARONG" AND "KRIS: or one of its tributaries, the jungle disappears here and there, to give place to traces of cultivation,

where padi or

rice is

grown

in the low, moist, alluvial

As we still ascend, the native may be met coming down with soil.

boats, or sampans,

the stream, laden

with produce, or containing some fisherman, equipped for his pursuit.

As we ascend

higher,

grows more rapid, and as

we should

stream,

is

call

it

it is

to find that the stream

in a small boat, poling, or

if

punting, our skiff against the

the custom adopted.

And

now, from time

fresh traces of the sparse population of the

to time,

country appear, battling with the ever- encroaching Buffaloes are seen, standing kneeprimeval forest.

deep in the river- edge children approach the riverbank to stare at our boat and then there is the ;

;

once more, the gliding river with increasing shallows, and higher still the rapids.

forest

The

coast-line is

broken with endless numbers of

mangrove-fringed creeks, and small tidal estuaries, and these have ever been the hiding-places of the

much- dreaded praus, those famous piratical craft with which the name of the Malay has so long been associated. The principal rivers that here form the Krean and Bernam, estuaries are the Perak ;

which form the northern and southern boundaries of the state tin-land

;

;

the Laroot river, which drains the principal off which lie the islands of

and the Din ding,

the same name.

MALAYS AND CHINESE. These islands, like Penang to the northward, have

now become

British

and

territory,

afford

capital

anchorage between them and the shore, with an ample supply of fresh water to be obtained on the principal island, Pulo Pangkore.

of

the

group,

and,

of the mainland,

is

This

the

unlike

the largest

greater proportion

now becoming

by the Malays and Chinese busy home wherever there

is

rapidly peopled making a

these latter

;

gold or tin to be

is

mined, or money to be earned by straightforward Here at Pulo Pangkore they are mostly industry.

employed as woodcutters, and in making lime, for which abundant material is found all round the island,

and madrepores. This zoophyte-produced limestone, as seen from a boat, when peering down through the limpid water, presents a scene of wondrous beauty, with its many

in the shape of the limestone coral

tints

and shades of

colour,

marine garden of endless flowers

and shrubs

tropic region, clad in dazzling,

and

glide

forming a perfect sub-

loveliness,

of

the

armour whose hues are at times

far outrival the

corals

The dry coral is easily they rove. Chinese into lime, and procures a building purposes at

through whose

the brilliant fish

amongst which burned by the high price for

The Malays, on the

Penang.

of land, which they occupy plant with fruit-trees, principally the plantain or

small tracts

contrary,

banana,

and the

chumpada

or

small jack- fruit, a

variety of the bread-fruit of Polynesia.

"SARONG" AND

"KRIS.'

The Dutch were the former occupants of this and the

island at the time that they held Malacca,

remains of their fort and factory are still to be seen close to the shore, and within reach of Anson Bay. The Perak river is a fine broad stream, averaging for the first fifty miles

about one-fourth of a mile

in width, navigable for about one hundred

and eighty

mouth an assertion that sounds somewhat paradoxical, when the limits of the country are miles from

its

given as only ninety miles from north to south. serpentine wanderings, however, fully account for

Although navigable to for boats

:

still

Its this.

so great a distance, this is only

goodly vessels may make their way up Durian Sabatang, after which the

for forty miles to

draught of boats must become smaller and smaller, while in Ooloo, or Upper Perak, rapids are encountered in several places, long before the sources are reached, at a range of hills, called Titti-Wangsa, in the adjacent state of

Quedah. These rapids

in

generally passed on

the ascent rafts,

of

the

which are very

river

are

skilfully

by the Malays, out of the large hollow bamboos of the country, lashed securely together with constructed

They will readily make a raft of this kind and six feet wide, containing upon it a Two men paddle, while two palni-thatched house. more stand fore and aft with long poles, by means of rattans.

fifty feet long

which they keep the entering the rapids

it

raft

clear of boulders, as

on

glides frequently between rocks

THE PERAK RIVER. only eight or ten feet apart, contact with which would utter collapse of the light raft, and too

mean an

probably a fatal accident.

The most dangerous of these rapids is one known by the Malays as Jeram Panjang, at the present

known boundary Patani.

of

Here there

attempting to pass

it

Perak,

towards

the state

of

a huge boulder, and before the boatmen make certain pro-

is

pitiatory offerings, in the shape of bananas

and

betel-

a speech, in which leave

is accompanied by asked to go down the rapid. It is no light task this rapid, for the fall amounts to a dozen feet in the space

nuts,

of forty yards, through a passage only from ten to fourteen feet wide. To prevent accidents rattans are

but in spite of this accidents occur amid the rush and turmoil of

secured to the raft to hold

many

it

back

;

the hurrying waters, which eddy and form dangerous whirlpools,

and

lives

have occasionally been

lost.

Some

idea of the difficulties of the navigation in these higher parts of the river may be formed, when it is

announced that according to a

Daly

down

the stream, there

late

w ere r

voyager

Mr.

over fifty rapids

the most dangerous being the above-named, and one known as Jeram Kling.

These rapids are not the only obstacles to the navigation, for after the freshets the trunks of large

brought down, many of which strand in the shallows, and form those dangerous " impediments which the Americans call snags," and trees are frequently

"8AEONG" AND

10

"

KRIS."

"

sawyers," and which are fatal to the unfortunate boat Like most rivers of that encounters them in its way. its kind,

sufficient

the Perak has a large bar at

its

mouth, of

importance to necessitate careful pilotage channel, for large vessels inward or

the

through outward bound.

Of

tributaries

its

the

principal

are

the

Plus,

Kungsa, Kinta, and Batang Padang rivers, all rising and north-east, amongst the heights of the

in the east

numerous streams of minor growth tend to make the state an admirably-watered country, central range; while

and, as already intimated, form the highways for the commerce that is carried on.

limited

no land of huge volcanic peaks, for the mountains only attain to an average altitude of 5000 This

or

6000

is

as far as present surveys the extreme. Here the ancient go, probably being forest reigns supreme in all its grandeur ; in fact, with few exceptions, as soon as the river-banks,

with

feet

their

;

7000,

sparse

villages,

are

traveller plunges into the jungle,

left

behind,

and then

the

finds the

land almost wholly uninhabited, save by a few wild tribes, who migrate from spot to spot, moved by their superstitious reverence

evil

as they are for

good or

omens.

The general knowledge

of the eastern portion of Perak is at present very imperfect ; and though the Malay peninsula has been crossed to the north and south, so

far

it

is

probable that no European has

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES.

11

made his way through Perak to the opposite coast, thus leaving open a goodly exploration for anyone The indefatigable Eussian of adventurous mind. traveller,

Baron Maclay, has traversed a considerable

portion of the interior ; but the information he obtained from native sources was, on the whole, so

contradictory and untrustworthy as to be but of

little

value.

There are two minor ranges between the higher mountains and the seaboard, and, running almost with the backbone of the peninsula, they form the valleys of the Perak and Kinta rivers. The range nearest the sea contains several tolerably high moun-

parallel

which are Gounong Booboo and "gounong" being the Malay term

tains, the principal of

Gounong Hijau for

a

"

as

mountain,

bukit

" is

for

a

hill.

The

ascertained height of Gounong Booboo is 6100 feet, the latter being only a little lower. Other eminences are

known,

as the

Sigari,

or

the

North and South Mounds, and Bukit False Binding. The most peculiar

mountain of the country, however, is one known as Gounong Pondoh, lying a little north of the direct route between the mouth of the Laroot river and Qualla Kungsa, one of the principal stations of the

upper Perak

river.

Gounong Pondoh alone,

beehive

and ;

rising

for it is

a singular eminence, standing out of the plain like a huge is

one mass of red and white limestone,

about 1000 feet high, bare and time-worn in places,

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

12

and perforated with the caves peculiar This eminence

tion.

mouth

the

of the

to this forma-

distinctly seen

is

Laroot

river,

and

on entering forms a

also

very prominent object from Qualla Kungsa on the Perak river. A similar hill is found in the neighbouring state of Quedah, and is there known as the Elephant Eock. It is likewise of limestone, and its

must be a problem

peculiar formation

The caverns

explorer.

a

hills

are

well

visit,

climb over the rocks to reach the arched

stiff

entrance, which

common

limestone

of these

and make no great demand on the In the case of the Elephant Eock there is

worthy of a first

for geologists.

is

richly fringed with the stalactites

to limestone caves.

One

of these stalactites

has been broken, and on being struck by the club of the Malay guide, the peculiar sonorous tone emitted reverberates through the cavern with a hollow roar. During a visit in 1872, torches were lit which displayed

on

all sides

of

tions

the peculiar shapes taken

lime-charged

by the

these

water,

congela-

shapes

being

grotesque in the extreme, some even assuming a strong resemblance to the human profile, with flowing beard and locks, carved in white marble by some clever

may

sculptor's

be gained

some seventy

hand.

when feet

it is

Some

idea

of the

extent

mentioned that the roof

above the

floor,

is

while large un-

explored passages extend in different directions. Prevalent as are the stalactites, their corresponding stalagmites are comparatively few.

Many, however,

J3UKIT SEBAPIT.

are

doubtless

buried beneath the

which covers the

floor to a great

13

excreta

depth

;

of bats,

and doubtless

below this the geologist will find many relics of the older fauna of the peninsula when the time for excavation comes.

On

the

occasion

the party had a was moved with a

of this visit

narrow escape, for one member

strong desire to let off a rocket in the interior of the cave; a proceeding which would probably have resulted in bringing

mountain

is

tons of stalactites on his com-

He was however

panions' heads.

The cavern

down

is

stopped in time. entered from the land side, and the

completely pierced, so that the explorer

comes at length upon an opening of some

fifty feet

by

thirty, looking straight out to sea through a glorious fringe of stalactites and ferns, giving the opening, with

ferny and mossy terraces, the aspect of a beautiful proscenium, from which the eye is taken with regret.

its

The road mentioned

as extending

of the Laroot river to Qualla

from the mouth

Kungsa

is

notable as

being one of the principal in the state, and has been developed, under the management of the British Kesi-

mere elephant-track into one suitable for The mention of a road the transport of produce. dent, from a

some twenty-seven miles in extent may sound a trifle, but in a land where the rivers form almost the sole

means

of intercommunication, the existence of one

good road, setting aside

the

military

means the opening out of the country

advantages,

to a

new form

of

"

"SARONG" AND

14

traffic.

This road leads through the pass of Bukit a ravine of great beauty though of no

Berapit, vast extent.

The granite crops out here of a fine tall forest trees similar to our Aberdeen

gray variety, tower up, rich in their gorgeous greens, whilst at their ;

feet cluster ground-orchids quaint

and

far

more

and curious in form,

beautiful than the stunted kinds seen

in our hothouses at home.

In clearings where the

forest gives place to the traces of former cultivation, found in abundance, the Malays fruit-trees are

planting extensively wherever of fruit-bearing

settle.

they

Clump

clump passed, lendof their the and burdens to the beauty foliage ing scene, already brightened here and there by bubbling after

trees

is

streams of delicious water, rushing over the rocks of the narrow gorges on their way to swell the Laroot river

below the

The

pass.

trees here are frequently

grand in their growth, rising up without a branch a hundred feet before interweaving with their fellows to form a shade so dense, that farther in the forest a

dim

twilight reigns even at

noonday. This road passing through Bukit Berapit divides the district of Laroot -from Perak proper. It was

commenced by Captain Speedy, Her Majesty's tant-resident at Laroot, with the aid of the

Assis-

Muntri

of Perak, one of the principal officers of the Sultan's little

and one who has

many years claimed to be the governor of the above district. It was court,

for

ABSENCE OF ROADS.

15

and military authorities during the disturbances of 1875-76, and a line of telegraph was laid along it to connect the pushed on with vigour by the

civil

military post of Qualla Kungsa with the anchorage in the Laroot river at Teluk Kartang, the nearest point to our old settlement at Penang.

A

good idea may be formed of the primitive

nature of the country, when it is considered that this There are, is the only road worthy of the name.

however, certain tracks important from their comOne of these munications, not from their condition. leads from a place called Boyah, north of Sengang, on the Perak, to Kinta, a place of importance from its

having been

the

old

seat

of the

Government of

This track passes through several villages during its course of about forty miles ; while a back pathway of about twenty miles in length will take Perak.

the traveller again to the river at a village called Blanja, where, if the Perak be crossed, a couple of fresh tracks diverge, each of

which leads to the sea

by communication with the rivers Trong and Binding, whose mouths are about twenty-five miles apart.

A road

to connect the

mouth

of the Perak river

with Banda Baru, the Eesidency, is in course of construction, and this will do away with the necessity for a long

and tedious journey along the serpentine

windings of the lower reaches of the river. Besides this there are a few jungle pathways, as intimated, only known to the natives, and but little used.

CHAPTER Elephant-tracks

Navigable

II.

Climate

rivers

Lakes

Geological

features.

LIBERALLY supplied

as they

have been, then, by nature

with water-ways, in the shape of rivers, the necessity does not seem to have occurred to the

for roads

Malays, especially as they are by nature essentially a sea-going and boating people ; and consequently they for the most part build their campongs or villages on the river-banks ; and where elephant-tracks do exist

they are mostly in places where it has been found convenient to carry tin to the nearest market, obtaining in return rice, salt, and salt-fish, which form the staple food of the Malays. During the petty war which followed the murder of Mr. Birch, one of these elephant-tracks was traversed

by General, now

Sir

Francis,

Colborne,

K.C.B., with his little force, which marched through the jungle from Blanja to Kinta; but it was only with great difficulty a difficulty which will be

understood notions

of

when

it is

safety,

stated that the elephant, from

always

plants

his

feet

in

the

ELEPHANT TRACKS. of his

tracks

fellows

who have gone

17

before,

from

time immemorial, with the natural result that the track becomes a series of pit-holes, almost impassable for travellers on foot. Before quitting the subject of the rivers, a few words must be said respecting the more important of the Perak namely, the Kungsa. at whose confluence the important station of Qualla tributaries

Kungsa, or mouth of the Kungsa, is situated the Bidor and Batang Paclang, which unite and enter the Perak about

fifty

miles from

its

mouth.

Up

to this

point ships drawing not more than thirteen feet of water may be navigated. It was here that Her Majesty's war vessels lay at anchor during the disThis place Durian Sabatang as it is turbances.

named as a it

has been chosen from

most desirable place

is

its

natural advantages

permanent station, and believed that the authorities have definitely for a

decided upon erecting one here.

The river Kinta, perhaps after the Perak the most important of those in the state, rises in the main range, and after running in a southerly direction, enters the

Perak at Qualla Trus

;

but

it

bifurcates

about six miles before joining the main stream, and forms a delta, upon which is situated the village of

Banda Baru, the

seat of the Eesidency.

This

is

no

and being uncomfortably probable that on the erection of a

very cheerful spot, lying low,

swampy, and it is station at Durian Sabatang, the Eesidency

will

be

"SARONG" AND "KKIS."

18

removed

what

to

will probably

become the principal

the more probable that at this point an alteration becomes necessary in the navigation, vessels of lighter draught being required, port of the south.

and from the

This

is

swift nature of the stream the process of

poling being adopted ; though after what has been done in the way of constructing large steamers drawing only a foot or two of water, and with sternpaddles, for the shallow

American

rivers, the

depth in the Perak will not stand in the

want of of its

way

becoming the great water-way of a large commerce, running as it does north and south through the whole state, and even at Qualla Kungsa, one hundred and fifty miles

from

its

mouth, being over two hundred

yards wide.

The Bernam and Krean have already been mentioned, not as tributaries of the Perak, but as running

and important, the former as forming the southern boundary between Perak state and Salangore the latter as dividing the state from direct into the Straits,

Province "Wellesley, our British possession, and the state of

The

Quedah on the soil

north.

on the banks of these

rivers is generally

a light sandy loam, which easily washes in during the annual freshets, with the natural consequence that

sandbanks frequently obstruct the navigation.

These,

and the many other hindrances in the shape of

tree-

trunks, will doubtless be cleared as the country be-

comes more opened up

;

but, in spite of the admirable

NAVIGABLE RIVERS.

19

supply of water-ways, and the convenience of the streams for bringing down the mineral produce of the central ridge of mountains in which they rise, the necessity becomes every day more apparent for the construction of large trunk-roads, with cross-roads-

communicating with the

river.

Abundance of material

exists

for

this

purpose,

except on the actual banks of the rivers near the sea, where the constant recurrence of mangrove swamps, necessitates the formation of the well-known road

composed of trunks of called

"

7

corduroy/

or

trees laid side else

the

by

side,

and

excavation of deep to raise the surface

trenches, to obtain sufficient soil

of the road above the reach of the water in the tidal

swamps

;

for unless this is

done to the extent of at

least

two-and-a-half feet above high-water mark, the road is soon perforated by land-crabs, and becomes useless.

The

rivers

become swollen with mountain

during the rains, rising several

feet, for

torrents-

the average

from sixty to ninety inches ; and at such times navigation becomes difficult or im-

rainfall in

Perak

possible.

There

is

is

no distinction of spring, summer,

autumn, and winter here

;

for the

year

is

divided into

two

seasons, ruled by the prevalence of the monsoons, that from the north-east beginning about the middle of October and lasting to the middle of April, while that

from the south-west prevails during the rest of the year. " The word " monsoon is too often associated in people'sminds with a time of storms, but in these regions it c 2

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

20

applies only to the direction of the winds, which blow steadily from these quarters for six months alternately.

no land of typhoons and hurricanes, an equable region, a land, as has been intimated,

For Perak but

is

of eternal

is

summer

by the

to the European, which,

looked upon by him as no advantage for the monotony of such an unchanging season becomes wearisome in the extreme.

way,

is

;

The north-east monsoon

is,

so to speak, the dry

though a dry season proper does not exist for there are constant showers which lighten the air and season,

;

make

the climate pleasant and easy to bear. The day has been and hot, steamy, perhaps oppressive, when

towards evening the clouds are seen to gather blackly over the mountains, and a steady downpour sets in, accompanied by thunder and lightning, the latter

mostly of the kind known as "sheet."

As

the rain

a delicious freshness in the atmosphere, the oppression passes away, and the air is for the time being redolent of the sweet after-shower scent though ceases there

is

;

it

must be

said that the flowers of this region are o

greatly wanting in the delicious odours of those of temperate climates a fact probably to be attributed to their rapid

watered

soil,

growth and development from a welland from, an atmosphere laden with

moisture to the greatest degree. During the prevalence of the south-west monsoon the heavy rainfalls occur, with storms and electrical discharges,

which

last for

many

hours.

CLIMATE.

The heat

21

never great, and bears no comparison with that of India, a singular fact when it is considered how near Perak lies to the equator. On the plains the mean annual temperature is about 79 is

degrees, but

quently

falls

in as

the morning the thermometer frelow as 74 degrees ; while in the

ascents of the mountains that have been scaled the

Malays have been known to complain bitterly of the cold. There is this peculiarity in the climate, that before rain the air becomes very oppressive, from the

amount of moisture with which the atmosphere saturated and this, with the sudden nightly falls ;

the

mercury,

is

the

principal

cause

of

is

of

disorders

amongst the Europeans. These diseases take the form of fever and rheu-

On

matism.

the

whole, however, the

climate

is

decidedly healthy ; though, as in almost any part of the world, a night's rest at the foot of hills, or any low-lying swampy ground, may result in an attack of

These

fever.

natives, as

upon

piles

are

facts

known

to

the

;

tection from wild beasts

has had

apparently

shown by the construction of their huts of bamboo though the seeking of proand from

floods doubtless

its influence.

Lakes seem to have, so far as is at present known, Here little to do with the physical features of Perak.

and there the

rivers

widen into lagoons, and a lake of

some extent has been

but not surveyed, in the central part of the country but probably such lakes seen,

;

"SARONG" AND

22

ns exist are dependent

"KRIS."

upon the

freshets of the rainy

season.

has been ascertained as yet as to the geological features of the country ; but one of nature's singular changes of surface is very plain here in the little

Very

in which she

is constantly denuding the higher and grounds, carrying down, by means of the rivers, the superabundant soil which constantly adds to the

way

coast-line.

This

is

where small tracts

district,

marked in the Laroot of new land have been

especially

brought under cultivation, so that where at no very distant period the tide ran, padi, or rice, showing its luxuriant growth.

The primitive rock

now

is

that which forms the

main

range of the country seems to be that hard stone so familiar to us in the sculptures of the Egyptians, and

known as syenite, while here and there, as in the pass at Bukit Berapit, a fine-grained granite crops out, equal to our own Aberdeen. In this pass there is also quartz rock, and

it is

possible that here the granite

The most important rock, howan ever, argillaceous talcose schist, for in this is to be found the principal mineral deposits of the passes into syenite. is

country.

For some distance from the coast the land

is

low

and swampy,

but, gradually rising, a better class of reached, where the soil has been washed

country is from the hills, and this the sea

is sterile

is

as fertile as that towards

and unproductive.

There

are,

how-

GEOLOGICAL FEATURES.

23

ever, plains near

the coast of higher elevation than the ordinary tracts, and these are cultivated by the

natives,

who

plant maize and fruit-trees, and, where

irrigation is available,

they grow their staple food-

rice.

Farther inland, the plains, which are to be found of greater extent in the Perak than in the Kinta

broken up with natural sand-ridges, which

valley, are

and make

very well suited for the cultivation of rice and, from their appearance of having been more under the plough than at the lighten the

soil,

it

;

present time, give evidence of the existence of a far larger population than now exists in the country. Undoubtedly the richest soil in the valleys is that com-

posed of the debris of the mountains proceeding from the decomposition of the felspar in the granite. This

mixed with the decayed vegetable matter, has gradually subsided into the low lands, and now offers debris,

itself for

There

cultivation.

is

no trace of volcanic

action in the peninsula, saving a few hot springs existing at Malacca ; and, near as Perak lies to the great volcanic band which contains the craters of Java and

Sumbawa, earthquakes shocks have been

are

felt at

unknown, though slight The country is, Singapore.

however, peculiarly rich in minerals, and these will undoubtedly lay the foundation of its future prosperity. Fossils are rarely

found

;

but at the mouth of one

of the rivers there are very curious deposits of the ordinary cockle-shell, raised up into heaps many feet

24

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

.

high, and looking as if they had been left there by the action of some eddy ; though when and how, it is

impossible to say, for they

lie

high and dry upon the

shore.

In northern Perak a limestone formation prevalent,

and

is

pretty

as opposed to the ferruginous sandstones

shales of the south.

Large slabs of

be found in certain of the rivers

From

but not bituminous.

:

it is

slate are to

tolerably soft,

indications, there

seems

ironstone rocks are

to be

to be a rich deposit.

Hard sandstone and

found jutting out from the banks of the upper reaches of the Perak river, but the ironstone is not affected by the magnet. shells are

Here again,

too, quite inland, traces of

found in positions eight or ten

the level, as

if

above

This is by the receding sea. at the base of Gounong Wang, a

left

especially noticeable

huge limestone

feet

hill.

On

the whole, so far as the country has been explored, the palaeontologist does not find rich and curious stores awaiting him, and has to be content with

examining boulders of granite, veined with quartz, sprinkled with large grains of felspar, and showing their character plainly in the smooth- washed sides in the rapids above Qualla Kungsa. though, he may be rewarded with a seen of what

is

Now fossil,

and then,

traces being

evidently petrified wood; but until

the country is more opened out, organic remains are not likely to reward his search.

CHAPTER

III.

Mineral productions Graphite Galena Antimonj* Iron Tin and tin-mines Gold and gold-washing Deserted workings.

IF the visitor to Perak turns his attention to mineralogy, rich stores doubtless await him, especially as a

although proposed, has not yet been undertaken by the Government. In 1854, the writer discovered graphite or plumbago, in one of the

scientific search,

states

south of Perak;

notice at the time

has since passed out of mind, every reason to believe that deposits The same may be said of galena, which has

but there exist.

and though brought into

it

is

been found in the Bindings, and of which there are valuable mines in Patani, just to the north. This ore of lead

was known to be a mineral of the peninsula

as

back as 1616, but its actual site and locality never appear to have been traced until very recently by Mr. Fisher.

far

This till

it is

may seem

a poor argument as regards Perak, understood that the states north and south

are really only portions of the

same country, pierced

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

26

by the same range of mountains, and separated only by a comparatively few miles.

What

wanted

is

is

for exploring-parties to trace

eastward and examine the mountain-ranges with their ravines, so as to reach the matrices of the metallic stores that are tolerably-plentifully obtained

in the lower lands.

even now

Traces of hidden wealth have

Of gems, there are diamonds what number it is impossible to say,

frequently been found.

and

garnets, in

and amethystine quartz

exists in great beauty.

A

curious discovery of silver antimony was made On one occasion when a not far south of Perak.

quantity of stones were taken into Singapore jail for the convicts to break, one was found to be a mass of

The explanation given was that the lump antimony. was one of the stones that had been used by the Malays and in

for attaching to the anchors of their boats

;

this way it had probably been brought over from Borneo, where the ore is known to exist. Search near the spot where the stone was picked up proved fruitless

;

but

it is

silver

antimony Perak, and that zeal.

This

is,

a far more reasonable surmise that

Malay peninsula if not in some day reward the explorer's

exists in the it

will

of course, surmise, but to

it

may

be

added the reports that in the mountain-ranges of the Laroot district copper with bromide and sulphide There is no reason why of silver have been found. they should not

and

tin.

exist,

though in a land of gold

MINERAL PRODUCTIONS. On

27

abundant in Perak, and exists in the form of the peroxide, and as a cellular clay the whole, iron

is

known as laterite but so far no attempt has The been made to reduce these to the metallic form.

ironstone

;

Mr. "Westerhout stated that he had had specimens of copper brought to him from the interior of the late

country

;

but he died before

it

was possible

to take

advantage of the discovery, and the rich metal therefore lies waiting for the explorer's hand. Coal has been found,

though as yet small in Investiquantity, and of no great commercial value. gation, however, would probably result in the discovery of any or

and even

all

of the above minerals in

abundance

;

were barren of

result, the prospectingparties would be amply rewarded by the opening out of new lodes of tin and gold, which not only exist, if it

but have been mined here from time immemorial.

The bright

silvery metal tin is

worked

in

Perak

and though obtained in a clumsy primitive way, the yield is very abundant, and would

to a great extent,

be far greater but for the evident depopulation of the The metal has been attractive enough to country. bring the busy Chinaman by the thousand, and go where you will through Perak, he is to be encountered, patient and busy, digging, washing, and melting the ore.

seems odd in a land where gold is found in tolerable quantities, that tin should be looked upon as It

the principal metal.

This however

is

easily explain-

"SAEONG" AND "KRIS."

28

able from the greater "ease with which it is obtained. chief here reckons his wealth in his bhars or slabs

A

of tin; and when, as in a late act of piracy, a rajah was brought to book by one of Her Majesty's cruisers,

the offender was mulcted, not in so

many hogsheads

of palm-oil as on the west coast of Africa, nor in so many peculiarly-shaped dollars as in China, but in a

number

certain

of slabs of tin.

All over the country deserted tin mines are to be In the south, in the neighbourhood of the

found.

Batang Padang, and Bidor rivers, they are frequent, but at the same time there are many mines being In each case examination shows that the tin

worked.

gravel has been brought down by floods from the mountains some miles to the east and north but the ;

going to the mineral fountain-heads never seems to have occurred to the Chinese, though some-

idea of

the Malays^ they object to any such proceeding on account of the mountain jungle being like

times,

infested with evil spirits, to offence.

Yet

at the

whom

same time

the yield of the found in small black granules, similar to

nearer the mountain, the better ore,

which

those

is

they might give found that the

it is

seen in

a quartz

is

specimen of tin ore from

Cornwall.

In these southern parts, want of capital and the difficulties of carriage seem to prove great drawbacks to the successful carrying out of the

consequence

is

work

;

and the

that Laroot, in the extreme north of

TJLV

AND TIN MINES.

29

the state, where the deposits are rich, and carriage comparatively easy which last has its due effect on the food supply

draws to

itself

the principal portion

of the tin-mining energy.

The principal mining stations of Laroot are ThaiThis portion of the state is peng and Kamunting. well deserving of a

and most thriving

;

visit,

from

its

standing out, as

being the busiest it

does, in strong

contrast to the sleepy agricultural portions, where the

At Thai-peng ubiquitous Chinaman is not at work. is the dwelling of the Assistant-resident, Captain Speedy, a gentleman who, by his energy, has produced peace amongst the rival factions of the Chinese,

given protection and safety, and fostered the mining energy to such an extent that the mining towns are thronged, there are Chinese shops, and the general air of the place betokens prosperity.

The Resident's house here

is

a large native struc-

upon an eminence. It looks, with its wooden supports, palm-thatch, and extensive verandahs, pre-

ture

adapted to the climate and here the eastern element shows out strongly, in the Chinese going and

cisely

coming in

;

their peculiar

costume and parasol-shaped

hats, while the Resident's police

white puggarees

swarthy Sikhs, in

stand about awaiting orders, or on

duty.

Thai-peng

village, or

sistant-resident's house,

town, as seen from the Asis

a busy place, with long

thatched buildings by the hundred.

Fences

and

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

30

watercourses intersect the land, and here and there supplies of water are

washing the

Much

dammed up

for the

purpose of

tin.

have to be done to improve the process of obtaining and smelting the tin, as the natives are wasteful and extravagant, with the consequence that will

Unfortunately the trade has of high prices result. late been bad, the duty high, and Australian tin has begun to compete favourably with that of the Straits ; but as the latter is stream tin, and in abun-

dance in Laroot, without seeking in the matrix, it is probable that it may soon recover its old position in the market, though perhaps not at the earlier prices. What is really wanted to make the tin deposits of

Laroot highly profitable is the introduction of British Then capital and machinery, with British enterprise. the ore would be obtained, washed, and smelted with the smallest loss

;

and

here, in a land

where shafts

that take years to dig, and require fortunes to be sunk, are not needed, but where the ore is reached after

removing a few

feet of superficial soil, there

must

be temptations enough for the Cornish miner, whenever a settled rule has made the country safe and this

tin

must ultimately come. The method of procuring the ore or " biji timah "The Malays clig a few feet is very simple. seeds

down

in a favourable spot at the base of the

hills,,

take up the clay, which contains the tin in small nodules, and carefully wash

it in.

running water,

made

MINING. to flow over

ore

is

then,

31

by means of artificial channels. The when dry, ready for smelting, which is it

performed in a very primitive manner. A furnace is built up of clay, with a hole beneath the also

;

ore

is

placed in the furnace

between layers of char-

and forced into a powerful glow by means of very homely bamboo bellows, which coal

;

fire is

applied,

keeps up sufficient blast to cause the golden-orange molten metal to trickle into the receptacle below, from ladled into moulds, to form slabs or ingots, Sometimes, weighing two catties (equal to 2| lb.). however, the Chinese mould is adopted, in which a

which

it is

slab weighing fifty catties

The Chinese obtaining the tin,

is cast.

are wasteful

enough in their way of but they are far in advance of their

unprogressive neighbours, bringing simple machinery bear where necessary ; and their process is admirably described by Captain Speedy, the Assistant-

to

resident at Laroot.

According to his report, the tin lies at a distance of from twenty to fifty feet from the surface, gradually diminishing towards the hill-sides, where it is not

more than

six feet

down

;

and

as

it lies

the following arrangements are made cleared and the mine marked, water

:

horizontally,

The jungle

is

brought by a ditch from the nearest stream, and then the excavating commences.

At about the

soil

;

six feet

and to get

down water

rid of this,

is

begins to rise from and also to utilise the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

32

water from the stream as a motive power, an ingenious

made, by constructing a long wooden trough of three planks, each one hundred feet in length and this is placed with one end resting on

chain-pump

is

;

the bank, the other sloping to the water in the lowest part of the mine. " wooden chain with small oblong pieces of wood at right angles to the line is fitted accurately placed

A

The wooden chain

into the above-named trough.

is

passed round two wheels, a small one at the lower end of the trough and a larger one at the endless,

and

is

This latter is a water-wheel, and is upper end. turned by a constant stream flowing over it. Eound the axle of this wheel are cogs, each of which in turn, as the wheel revolves, draws up a joint of the endless chain through the trough, and as each joint fits accurately into the trough, they bring up in succession a quantity of water, which, on reaching the mouth of the trough, falls into the channel by which the water

which turns the wheel

is

carried

off,

and

is

thus also

taken away out of the mine and conducted to the The small wheel next, where the process is repeated. at the lower

end of the trough regulates the chain,

and guides the wooden

joints into the trough, causing

each to take up in succession its quantum of water, and by this means the mine is emptied/ Their tools are very poor, consisting of only a 7

common hoe and

a small

these the whole of the

work

flat is

cane basket.

done, the baskets

With when

TIN WASHING.

33

holding about four pounds of earth. One of these baskets is placed at either end of a stout bamboo, full

balanced over a labourer's shoulders, carried off and emptied, while the men with the hoe scrape together more soil and fill other baskets.

What an English navvy, armed with

spade, barrow,

and pick would think of the oblique-eyed, childishChinaman and the amount of work he does

faced

may

easily

the race

;

be imagined. Still the slow tortoise won and whereas our navvy demands so many

pounds of meat and so many pots of beer per diem, Ah Sin is content with a little rice, some fresh water, and, for his grand relaxation, a tiny pipe of

opium.

The washing, as performed by the Chinese, is very The ore is found at Laroot in a stratum of simple. whitish clay, which

water passing freely

washed in long open troughs, through, carrying off the soil, and is

leaving the ore at the bottom, for it is prevented from running down the inclined trough by means of bars of

wood

nailed across the bottom,

and against which

On this plan the Chinese heavy grains rest. seem in advance of the washing on inclined planes at

the

the Cornish tin mines, the efficient

way

crossbars

being

a^

very

of arresting the ore.

The melting process is very similar the Malays, but more elaborated, and is on rather a larger

scale,

and

bellows a very ingenious plan

to

carried out

in place of the is

adopted.

that of

bamboo

The trunk

"SARONG" AND "KRIS. of a tree about eighteen inches in diameter, and ten feet long, is carefully hollowed out, and closed at either "

A long pole with

a circular piece of wood at one end, fitting exactly into the bore of the tube, acts as a In order to secure the tube being perfectly piston. end.

end of the piston

air-tight, the

feathers.

well

is

padded with

Valves are placed at each end to allow the and in the centre the nozzle of the bellows

air to enter,

communicates with the furnace by means of a small On the piston being drawn out, the air air-passage. in the higher portion of the tube is forced down the nozzle, and on being drawn back the air in the further part of the tube is similarly drawn into the furnace." The charcoal is soon brought to a white heat, and as

the molten tin drips through, fresh layers of ore and charcoal are added, the fluid tin being ladled out into the moulds already mentioned as being sometimes adopted by the Malays.

The value prior to

of the tin exported in the seven years

1874 was upwards of a million and a quarter

sterling, this being the

must however derived

produce of thirty mines.

be added that

these

from native sources, and

exaggerated

;

for Captain

Speedy

's

figures

It

\vere

may have been estimate of the

produce for 1875 was in money value a million and a half of dollars. Since then, however, the number of Chinese miners has largely fallen off, probably in

consequence of the disturbances. favourable system there

is

Under

a

more

every probability of their

GOLD WASHING.

35

being re-collected, and the works attaining to great prosperity.

Anyone who has had experience

of the lamentably-

slow process of obtaining Cornish tin, and the vast sums of money adventured without result in that granitic peninsula, will see

what an opening

is

here

in Perak for British capital, especially as the climate is

healthy and Coolie labour comparatively cheap. Much store as the Malays of Perak lay by tin, they

are not blind to the charms of gold, and, to their taste, it is best of

common

thing,

a dark-red colour.

no un-

It is

when journeying through the

interior,

come upon a Malay, or even a boy, washing the soil left by some ancient flood. The quantity obtained

to

in this is

way

is

necessarily very small

to be procured,

approached the richer the fact that there

;

but

still

it

and the nearer the mountains are is

lies

the find

;

of course pointing to

the matrix from which,

decomposition of the quartz,

by the the gold has been washed

down. In some of the tin mines worked by the Chinese, especially in the south, in the neighbourhood of the

Batang Padang river, the soil is first washed for the ore, and afterwards undergoes a second washing for gold, which is found in small quantities, but still tin

repay the labour. One peculiarity in connection herewith is that the gold is found at depths of thirty to forty feet below the surface, and invariably sufficient to

in connection with the trunks of large trees, in every D 2

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

36

a fact pointing to the tremendous stage of decay floods that must have taken place at the time of the deposition of the metal.

In the north,

one of our Government

describes the neighbourhood of the

Krean

officials

river as

showing a formation having much the appearance of a gold-bearing country, such as he had seen in Australia,

and

tempting places for a prospecting-party to examine the junction of the granite and slate adding offering

;

that, if gold

were not found, the search would pro-

bably result in the discovery of tin or some other That gold has been found in large quantities

metal. in the

Malay peninsula,

is

proved by the vast number

of old workings surrounding the base of Mount Ophir, to the north-east of Malacca ; and if with their pri-

mitive ways of working, sufficient could be found by the people of bygone ages, modern appliances should result in securing a rich return.

On

the eastern side of the Perak river

a place called Kleian Bronsong, there

is

itself,

at

an alluvial

deposit which yields gold, and it is washed out of the creek, during the rainy season, by the Chinese and

who however are idle during the dry times, want of water. Among other places on the Perak

Malays, for

where gold is found, washing of the deposit is carried on by Chinese at Campong Cherako, and there

river

are several

abandoned gold mines

at a place called

Chigar Gala, one of the largest villages on the river, and lying above the station at Qualla Kungsa. In fact,

HIDDEN TREASURES. so

abundant

is

gold, that before

now

37

the writer,

when

wandering about, has with very little difficulty washed specimens of the precious metal from the river beds,

where

mostly occurs in little globular forms, like small or dust shot. Mr. Daly, the Government it

surveyor, to

who observed

determine

this during a

northern

the

journey taken boundaries of Perak,

would be interesting to thoroughly investigate these gold deposits, and describes the metal he has seen as being "rough and shotty," and remarks that

it

having the appearance of not having travelled far; while, judging from the quartz, slate, and other pebbles found in the river, he believes that the matrix will be found in the quartz reefs lying embedded

between the granite and slate. Enough has been said to show that plenty of traces of gold are to be found, little as the country

What

has been explored. streams, running

stores the jungle-hidden

to the mountains, conceal in olden

up

mines or untouched virgin pockets, time and the ceaseless energy of the

As

to

Anglo-Saxon alone will show. the Malays, they are too accustomed to a

laissez-aller

style

of

life

to

make any

energetic

attempts to discover and work the metallic treasures, while the efforts of the Chinese, with their primitive tools, are not likely to greatly influence the yield of the precious metals.

Eecompense of some description is almost certain to reward the explorer,

for, as

has been before remarked,

38

"fil&OJra"

AND

"KRIS."

the finding of a rich lode of metal of any kind

is

a

reward not to be despised; and it is questionable whether the discovery of the Burra Burra copper mines in Australia was not a more worthy one than that of the gold ; while as to Perak, if instead of metal a good vein of coal could be found, the finder would be a benefactor to the state.

CHAPTEE

IV.

of the mineral productions of Perak and the peninsula Solomon's ships Gold, apes, and peacocks Opinions of early writers Ophir.

The ancient knowledge

BRITISH tin was an

export to the islands of the Eastern Archipelago up to the year 1618, and it is difficult to trace the time when it was first disarticle of

covered in Perak and the other portions of the Malay De la Loubere, the French envoy to thepeninsula.

King

of Siam, in the years 1687-88, wrote an account

of that people, and he states that all the calin or tin in Siam which country then embraced a considerable

portion of the

Malay peninsula

was sold by the king

to strangers as well as to his own subjects, except that which was dug out of the mines of Jon Salam or

Junk Ceylon,

in the gulf of Bengal,

"not above the

distance of a man's voice from the coast of Siam,"

and

where ; being a remote frontier, he leaves the inhabitants in their ancient there

rights, so that

is

loadstone

for this

they enjoy the mines which they

dig,,

paying a small profit to the prince. Mr. Walckenaer, the German traveller, thinks that

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

40

word kalah calin tin, was derived from the modern Quedah, the Portuguese corruption of Kecldah. the

Masudi speaks of the fourth sea of India that of Kalah Bao or the sea of Selahat, which had shallowwaters,

and was

full of

small islands containing tin

mines, where the natives used poisoned arrows an exact description of the straits of Malacca and selahat ;

is

Malay for a strait. The Arabian term cassider, derived from the

certainly the

Sanscrit kastina, applied as in our

own

by the Phoenicians

to tin,

Cassiterides, or tin islands, off Cornwall,

seems to imply that they derived their knowledge of metal in the first place from the East, or through the

and

not found anywhere nearer to them than in the Indian Archipelago. These latter,

Arabians

;

tin

is

Hindoo

in the Middle Ages, seem to have adopted the

term kola or quota Arabic.

Our name

iimahy but

The

for tin, although kasdin is the true

how

this

tin is

came

traced to the to pass

Sanscrit kala literally

is

Malay word

not very

means

clear.

black, so

that

does not seem necessary to go far to trace the application of the word by the natives immigrant from India, to the black mineral grains found as it

and

adoption by the Siamese and Arabians at a later day, to distinguish the tin of the

stream tin

;

its

Indian Archipelago from that of Great Britain.

Among other writers, Dr. Vincent,

in his "Periplus,"

published in the year 1800, speaks of tin as being an import into Africa, Arabia, Scindi, and the coast of

THE ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE. Malabar

;

and

as

an

article

of

41

commerce brought

and conveyed through the Mediterranean by Phoenicians, Greeks, and Eomans, to the Eastern seas but says it was only during the past from Britain in

all

ages,

;

few years that

it

had reached China

in British vessels.

Of the ancient history of the gold of the Malay peninsula much may be said, for it has been famed from all ages. This peninsula was of the ancients, and although Chersonesus the Aurea the evidence is not conclusive that Josephus is right for its production

says that the Mount Ophir of Malacca, some hundred and fifty miles south of Perak, and called by

when he

the modern Malays Gunong Ledang, is the Ophir of Solomon, there is much that is in favour of this supand being a subject of such great interest, position ;

it

may

be worth while to investigate the question,

even at the risk of being somewhat tedious. It may be taken as a matter of fact, that from the very earliest ages there was intercourse between the Arabians and Malays and hence it is reasonable to ;

suppose that the precious metal gold, would, with From the spices, be amongst the articles of trade. earliest

times

we know

that the Arabians sent into

Sabea both spices (frankincense) and gold, but whether the latter came from Sofala, on the east coast of Africa the sea-port of the Grande or from the

open question.

Mount

Mount Ophir Mount Ophir

There

is also,

it

of Bruce

and Le

of Malacca,

is

an

should be added, a

Ophir, or the Golden Mountain, in Sumatra;

"SABONG" AND

42

but this

may

be

KRlS."

out of the argument, as the name by Europeans at a comparatively

left

was conferred upon

"

it

recent date.

Lassen, the orientalist, has placed Ophir, the origin of Solomon's gold, somewhere about the mouth of the

Indus

and

Mr. Crawford, is founded on some resemblance between the Hebrew ;

his

hypothesis,

says

and Sanscrit names of the commodities brought from this ancient spot. The nearest resemblance is in the an ape, that in the Hebrew being Jcoph or and in Sanscrit, Mpi or Jcopi. Mr. Crawford,

words Jcof,

for

however, in view of

all

the difficulties connected with

geographical position, comes to the conclusion that the Ophir of Scripture is simply an emporium where " Solomon's fleet obtained gol'd, silver, ivory, apes, and its

"

peacocks

;

and he

fixes this

emporium somewhere

in

Arabia, either at Sabea, or at a spot on the southern But as we read that the ships of Solomon coast.

"

came

to Ophir," it is

more natural to conclude that

they went to a place bearing that name, and not to a convenient emporium, where the gold of Ophir and The the other commodities were exposed for sale. question then seems to lie between the Ophir of the eastern coast of Africa and that of Malacca. things in favour of the mount in peninsula being that of Scripture, and the

There are

many

the Malay idea is supported by

many

writers.

For instance, Dr.

Kitto, in his Encyclopaedia, states that the natives of " Malacca call their gold mines " Ophirs ; to which may

SOLOMON'S SHIPS.

43

be added, that the Malays being a decidedly nonprogressive people, their term probably comes from

De

time immemorial.

P. Poivre, a French author,

same statement, adding of the on y trouve plusieurs mines d'or,

writing in 1797, gives the natives of Sumatra

que "

les

habitants de

He,

Ophirs"

Malacca

too,

adds that the mines of the ad-

jacent places are richer than Peru.

When we

de Sumatra nomment

et

all

those of Brazil and

we

consider the objects sought,

find that

they were apes, peacocks, ivory, and gold. Now, though the ape proper is not indigenous to the Malay

monkeys of large size abound it is the one of the most beautiful of the peacocks

peninsula,

home

of

;

;

ivory, if not abundant, is procurable, for elephants are

plentiful

;

spices follow as a matter of course, for this

the very centre of the production ; and gold is worked to the present day. Gold, apes, and ivory are certainly found in Africa, but the other articles would

is

have to be brought from the Eastern seas. To go back to the ancients for support of the theories that Solomon's vessels

the Malays

may have

traded with

us that Eratosthenes speaks of and Agatharcides, a Meroe, India, and the Thinoe :

Pliny

tells

;

contemporary of the latter, Sabea,

now Yemen,

are robust, warlike,

or

about 104

"the blest":

and able mariners.

B.C.,

"The They

says of

people sail in

very large vessels to the country where the odoriferous commodities are produced ; they plant colonies there,

"8MONG" AND

44

"KRIS."

'

and import from thence the larimma/ an odour nowhere else to be found in fact, there is no nation upon earth so wealthy as the Gerrhei and Sabei, as being ;

the commerce which passes between Asia and Europe." The sam^ writer also refers to the

the centre of

all

and coupled with these a reference to Malacca or the Golden Chersonese. According to Dr. Vincent, the Chinese had not

Maldive and Laccadive is

then passed the

islands,

straits

of Malacca; but the Malays

ages to have traded with India, and probably with the coast of Africa, and he ends by

seem in

all

saying " All this induces a belief that in the very earliest ages, even prior to Moses, the communication with :

India was open, that the intercourse with that continent was in the hands of the Arabians, that Thebes

had owed

splendour to that commerce, and that Memphis from the same cause came to the same preeminence, and Cairo succeeded to both in wealth, its

grandeur, and magnificence." If then, as this evidence would show, the com-

munication with India and

its isles

was open before

the time of Moses, and in the hands of the Arabians, who from the earliest ages had an intercourse with the

Malays, the inference that can be drawn from this may be left to everyone to judge of as he pleases.

however, another significant point which favours the belief that the gold of Ophir was obtained

There

is,

from Malacca,

for

amongst the

articles of

export to the

OPHIE.

Ked Sea

in the time of the

"

45

Periplus," which gives

au account of the navigation of the ancients, from the east coast of Africa down to Sofala, gold is not but only

mentioned,

tortoise-shell of a

good

" ivory, sort,

rhinoceros-horn, and

but inferior to that of

Dr. Vincent, the last editor and exponent of the work, is so struck with this fact, that he confesses India."

"

some degree of disappointment in not finding gold, as the fleets of Solomon are said to have He however gets over obtained gold from this coast.' to feeling

7

the difficulty by saying: "Our present object is not the trade but the geography." In later days namely, in the fourteenth century

Barbosa says that gold was so abundant in Malacca it was reckoned by the bhar of four hundred

that

weight.

In 1615,

also,

we read

in the State Papers

that at Acheen, in Sumatra, the admiral's galley had a turret built in the stern, covered with plates of gold a sure sign of the plentiful supply of the metal. Later still, in "Herbert's Travels," prioted in 1677,

he says that Malacca had the name Aurea given to it, on account of the abundance of gold carried thither

from Menang Kabau, in the neighbouring isle, Sumatra; and again, Valentyn says, in 1737, Acheen exported gold by the thousand ounces at a time. To come down to our own days Mr. Logan estimated the total produce of gold in the Malay peninsula :

twenty thousand ounces per annum only. This does not arise from the mines being worked out, but

as

"SARONG" AND "KRlS."

46

from the gradual depopulation of the country, and the facile way in which tin is obtained and sold by the Chinese, leading to the temporary abandonment of the search for the more precious ore.

In addition to

the discoveries of gold in other parts of the world have taken off the attention of European capitalists from the mines of Malaya ; and this,

though an attempt was made recently to work the gold mines of Chindrass, near Malacca, the adventure failed from the

skill

and proper

required for the proper developof the acknowledged valuable mineral resources

appliances.

ment

What

want of mining

is

of the peninsula is as was some time since suggested that a practical mineralogist and geologist should be sent out from England, to examine and give copious reports of the capabilities of the country, so as to draw This step has not yet public attention to it at home.

been taken, but tion

;

not too late to adopt the suggesand the outlay on such a survey, if judiciously

carried out,

ment and

it is

would be amply returned to the Govern-

to the colony.

CHAPTER Vegetable productions foliage

Y.

Ferns Timber-trees Indiarubber Flowers Palms Bamboos.

Varied

IN few parts of the world are the wonders of the vegetable kingdom to be seen in greater perfection

than in the Malay archipelago

;

and Perak possesses

share of these glorious productions, for the moist hot climate favours rapid growth, to an extreme

its

full

degree.

On

quitting the river- ways, and plunging into the jungle, the traveller is at once in a world of wonders.

In almost every instance he is confined to the forest track, for the jungle is literally impenetrable. Huge

up a hundred and a hundred and fifty feet without a branch, and then weave and interweave in

trees tower

the most extraordinary manner..

These are the

pillars

and supports of creepers and parasites innumerable, among which the most prominent are the various varieties of the rattan cane

the

common

cane of the

which here winds and runs to the length of two and even three hundred feet. A soft greenish

shops, but

twilight generally prevails in these dense parts of the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

48

forest

;

but where there are openings that admit of

the sun, flowers

add

principally orchids

their beauty

to the scene.

Wherever a watercourse

found, there, with their

is

spring up to fifteen and twenty feet in height, drooping gracefully over the mossy rocks, and beneath them may be seen an lace-like fronds, tree ferns

abundance of the

of ferns, chiefly of

lesser variety

the Pteris family.

Soon, again, appear the beautiful quaint-blossomed orchids, principally the Dendrobiuni and Vanda varieties, hanging in rich clusters from the

trunks and branches of the forest

hangs pendent in masses of

trees.

many

The elk-horn feet in length,

and, deeper in the jungle, lycopodiums, and the many varieties of moss which flourish in moist situations, carpet the earth. It is a carpet, however, that unless a

way be

cut

by means

is

of the

untrodden

;

for

heavy knife or

parang of the Malay, progress even of the slowest nature is impossible, and the beauties of the ground orchids which spring up in the clearer spots are

doomed

to flourish

woods ebony

and fade unseen.

In these dense

sometimes found, though not in any great profusion, and it is not used by the Malays. There is an abundance, though, of excellent timber is

for building purposes,

which to a great extent

is

and squared by the Chinese. The chief of these woods some of which are hard and very durable

felled

are the

marbow, and the damar

laut, the maranti,

and

INDIAEUBBEE AND GUTTA-PERCHA. the

serayah.

quality which

There are it is

One timber

others

many

49

of admirable

needless to name.

tree promises well.

known by

It is

the Malays as the scum. They say that if placed over piles used for jetties it will resist the action of the teredo, or

boring-worm

for the

;

worm,

after

devouring

wood

attacks that of the ordinary piles, and is killed from, the action of the acids of the two, and

the

if this

be the case

it

will

be a valuable timber to

Further proof however

possess.

is

needed of

its

qualities.

Teak, though found at Penang and Singapore, and abounding in the jungles of Siam, oddly enough does There are plenty of fine durable not grow in Perak.

woods, though, to make up for the deficiency. Neither has the camphor tree been found, though believed to exist at Salangore, plentiful,

and

its

but the gutta tree

curious

gum

is

extracted

is

tolerably

by cutting

down

the whole tree, tapping it on the under side, and allowing the gutta to exude into vessels placed for its

reception.

the young Malays glutinous bird-lime. in

This

gum

to catch

frequently used by birds, forming a most is

The name by which

it is

known

gutta-percha many people may not be aware, is rather a redundant one, percha being only the native name for Sumatra, whence the gutta was

England

The indiarubber tree, perhaps originally brought. with its glossy green leaves, is one of the many trees of the wood; but its juices are not com-

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

50

monly

extracted,

though used

also

occasionally

as

bird-lime.

One

very

kamooning,

is

polish,

and

is

make

to

wood, called by the Malays obtained from a slow-growing flowerIt is of fine grain, takes

bearing tree.

and

hard

used to ornament the

an admirable

hilts of krises,

into fancy or useful articles, such as

boxes, cigar-holders, and watch-cases the late rajah of a neighbouring state was a great adept at turning this wood in his lathe. :

no uncommon thing in the depths of these jungles, as night sets in, to see glades lit up with what seem in the distance to be so many pale lamps burning It is

with a mild radiance, but which prove on closer inspection to be a very curious kind of phosphorescent fungi, of considerable size, the light being probably

produced by their decomposition.

At times

too,

during a journey, the native guide points out the ipoh, or upas tree, and announces that it is poisonous ; but the stories of

the

though

deadly nature are apocryphal

may

tradition the

beyond about

its

tree

possess

and

;

poisonous qualities,

Malays seem to know very

little

it.

Another famous

tree flourishes here, namely, the

does in the dense jungle, where it has to struggle for its existence in a very small space, there are none of the wonderful wide-

banian

;

but,

growing as

it

spreading specimens such as are said to shelter a To revert however for regiment on an Indian plain.

WOOD a

moment

to the upas

OIL.

it is

:

51

perhaps too much, to say

an approximation to its branches, or sleeping

that

beneath

its

when

especially

may

shade, it

be highly

not

an established

is

injurious,,

that the

fact

poison alder of Virginia acts upon the skin, if ever so lightly touched, with the greatest virulence, producing all the symptoms of poisoning to a marked degree.

The

however,

upas,

tested,

does not

and possesses perhaps a

seem to have been

far

worse name than

it

deserves.

The bombax,

or cotton tree,

is

here in two

varieties,,

The kayoo puteh, literally whose name has been corrupted

but probably imported.

wood

white,

is

a tree

into the cajeput of the Pharmacopoeia.

very valuable green purposes.

oil,

which

is

It

yields

a

used for medicinal

Large quantities of wood

oil,

or kayoo-

minyati, are also obtained by the Malays, by cutting a triangular hole right into the trunk of a forest tree,,

and placing therein a cup or half a cocoa-nut shell. Fire is then applied, and the oil is melted and drips This oil forms a kind of varnish, and into the cup. used for the interior woodwork of their houses, and sometimes as a medicine.

is

One

of the prettiest trees is the waringhan, with its

birch-like

growth

to be called the

;

it is

a species of

ficus,

and

most ornamental in the

deserves-

peninsula,,

though the beautiful growths are endless, even as they are peculiar. Amongst the ornamental trees, though,

must be

classified those

which blossom.

One

of the E 2

SARONG " AND

52

finest of these

is

called

"KRIS."

by the Malays dadap.

bears a beautiful flower of a brilliant scarlet, and utilised largely in the coffee plantations of

It is

Java as a

young trees from the ardent sun. Another blossoming tree is the chumpaka, of which there are two varieties, the one bearing a yellow, the

protection to the

other a pure white flower, and both diffusing what a delicious scent. These are is comparatively rare favourite flowers,

and are often used

like the

white

blossoms of the jasmine and the sweet-scented starshaped bunga tanjong by the women to ornament their hair, while the natives of India in the peninsula

them at the shrines of their god. One of the especial features of the jungle is the beauty of tint and mottling of the foliage, and this relieves greatly what would otherwise seem sombre and monotonous. Almost side by side may be seen growing leaves of a bright yellow and others of richlyoffer

tinted

reds,

while

close

by

are

displayed infinite

variegations, in different shades, of purple mixed with splashes of white, as if all colour had been withdrawn

Undoubtedly the beauty of nature's gardening in these eastern forests has had something from the

leaves.

to do with the taste that has of late set in for foliaceous plants.

The

foliage, too, of the hill-sides in

Perak

is

wondrously beautiful, displaying every tint of leafage, from pale yellow, through infinite shades, to the darkest green, with here and there clusters of bright

blossoms peering out, amongst which

may

frequently

FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE. be seen what

is

known

53

as the Pride of the Forest, a

There is also blossom of a deep red and yellow. the blossom of the kamooning tree, which strongly resembles that of the orange, and emits as sweet a scent.

Though no scented

flower, there is a

plant found occasionally that object to every European, relatives

its tree-like

is

a pretty

modest

and familiar

and takes attention when

weary the

eye.

This

is

our

adiantum, the pretty little maiden-hair fern, and it is principally found growing in the laterite clay ironstone is

soil.

The

first

said to have been

discoverer of this

little

favourite

Archdeacon Hose, and the habitat

was Malacca.

Though Perak can hardly be still

there are

many

called a land of flowers,

of very great beauty,

and

this

want of gorgeous petals is made up for by the colours of the leaves. The orchids however are very beautiful, both the large parasitical and the ground varieties.

The scorpion orchid a wonderfully-accurate copy of the poisonous creature from which it takes its nameabounds, as does a magDificent creeper which would be a great acquisition to a European garden, from its rich maroon blossoms. Climbing plants are very common in the jungle, running up the trees in a straight line similar to the strands of our close small-leaved ivy, and often to a height of thirty or forty feet. But

perhaps of all the climbers the most striking are the nepenthes, or monkey- cups, which are seen in Those grown in our hothouses every opening.

"SARONG" AND "KRIS. poorly set forth the beauty of the varieties of this Here they may be seen growing in singular plant. clusters of fifty or sixty together, close to the ground,

and with

pitchers of ten or twelve inches in length.

Others, again, are seen ascending the forest trees, sun-seeking from a shady spot. They are generally

green, but variegated with purple and red, speckled, splashed, and striped, and many of them fringed in a

most

beautiful manner.

They

all

contain water,

many

over half a pint in quantity but it generally seems to be of a viscid nature, and not tempting as a ;

beverage.

abound wherever they find a suitable habitat in the lagoons formed by the many streams Water-lilies

;

while the lotus

up from

is

found in great perfection, sending

its floating

red, blue,

and

leaves

its

silvery- white.

bright blossom-cups of is a fine display

There

of this plant in a small lake fronting the house of one of the native chiefs, at Bukit Gantang, while these

and the water-lilies lend great beauty to some smooth open reaches in the wilder portions

of the of the

country.

Arums, and that beautiful plant the calladium, with

its

arrow-shaped variegated leaves, also play their

part in diversifying the jungle.

The

sensitive-plant it has this and too on the peninsula ; grows largely peculiarity, that wherever it abounds it destroys the

lallang grass

a knowledge of which fact may be of great

service where the land

is

infested with this growth, for

PALMS.

55

good grass can readily be grown around plant, after the lallang

grows well,

is

to the size of a tree, its

large

destroyed.

tlie sensitive-

The

and the gardinia

hibiscus

flourishes

white flowers being great favourites

with the Malays.

A

flower-bearing tree, known as the Poinsiana regia, flourishes well here ; it is small in leaf, but bears a magnificent bloom, which grows in clusters

on every bough

;

in

fact,

like

the

of our

azaleas

green-houses, there are often more flowers than leaves. Mr. Dunman, a former inspector-general of police at Singapore, introduced this largely into the town,

where

it

The

now grows

to great perfection. nipah-palm grows in company in brackish water,

mangrove and is often washed

by

the

with the

muddy

go floating about the looking in the distance like a boat under sail.

shores,

off to

straits, "

These

mangroves, whose singular roots have already been mentioned, have a peculiarity in their seed-pods, which There are apparently two varieties, the one having a seed something like a cocoa-nut, the other, pods of a large size, rather in the shape of a boy's

deserves mention.

skittle,

but pointed at the bottom

;

and

so

fully are these balanced, that as they drop

mangrove branch they

in

wonder-

from

the.

the

mud, upright and root. literally planting themselves, rapidly taking Another very beautiful shore-loving tree is the -casuarina,

of

fir.

which

fall

flourishes

amid the sand, being a kind way in which the wind

It is peculiar for the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

56

sighs

through

its

it,

reminding the

of far away, with dark green crown.

Scottish

fir

Perak

may

its

settler

of

the old

roar as of surges in

be looked upon as a paradise of palms,

of which there are many varieties. The nipah, which has just been mentioned, fringes the rivers up to tidalmark, and forms the chief thatching material of the

Malays, while are the sago, fifteen years,

its fruit

Then

there

which is allowed to grow for about and then cut down to obtain the farina

from the pith in coarse sugar

makes a preserve.

is

its

the jaggary, from which and the areca, a slender, very

trunk

made

;

;

graceful tree, yielding the betel-nut, which the Malays

chew

The blossom of one of the wild arecas has a most delicious odour, and there are several varieties. The penang, or areca, is for its stimulating qualities.

the palm which is utilised in a variety of ways by the Malays, its leaf-sheath affording them a horny material, which they use for water-buckets and baskets.

The cocoa-palm grows luxuriantly, and long distances from the rare variety

sea.

fruits well at

In addition, there

which bears a cocoa-nut, whose

is

a

fruit is

pink instead of white. The gamooty-palm is also very common, and the black fibres of this tree are of endless use to the Malays, for

making cordage, ropes, and the open strands with which they take their enemy the alligator. The most graceful of the family, however, is the nibong, which in beautiful clusters shades the jungle dwellings of the Malays, supplies

CAilPONU ON PEUAK K1VKU.

BAMBOOS. the posts for their houses, and

make their floors. The various palms

57

is

cut into strips to

most striking features of the river-banks, and wherever they are clustered in are the

any number there are sure to peep out the pointed The wonder is roofs of the attap-thatched houses. that the large cocoa-nuts, in their great fibrous coating, and heavy falling leaves, are not frequently the cause of accidents to the children playing beneath

the villages

;

in

but somehow they seem to escape, for

known

are rarely

injuries

them

to the writer

as having

occurred.

palms in value to the Malays come the bamboos, which graceful ornaments to the jungle,

Next

to the

towering up like Brobdingnagian grass, are utilised in a variety of ways building, boat-making, raft -constructing, and also for cutting up into various domestic :

implements.

It is also of great service to the natives

for their fences it

and stockades, and

acts admirably, those that

if used as a hedge have been made about

the settlements adding greatly to the attractions of the lanes' and country roads. Fine clumps of bamboo

add to the beauty of the river Perak, seen as they But great are, feathering against the pure sky. as is the beauty of this cane it has its

The Malays use the but in

its

of

;

fire

bad

qualities.

large hollow joints to hold water wild-growing state it is frequently the cause

for

;

where pieces of large growth, or even

plants of similar silicious nature, are in a position to

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

58

be fretted and rubbed together by the wind, a serious This no doubt taught jungle fire will often result. the aborigines how to obtain fire by rubbing a couple of

pieces

together.

The

rotans,

or rattans,

have

already been mentioned as among the great obstacles but to the Malays to progression through the jungle ;

they are of twisted

infinite

their strongest ropes.

supplying them, when lever, and then dried, with

value,

by means of a

CHAPTER Fruits

THE

VI.

TheDurian Mangosteen Shaddock Ananas Bread-fruit Cashew Nam-nam Wholesome nature of fruits.

Perak are almost endless, and embrace some of the most delicious under the sun but many fruits of

;

them bear names that would be little better than Some of the principal must puzzles to the reader. of

however be given by

their native titles.

Mr. Wallace, in his " Malay Archipelago," says that the durian, which he seems to have found in a great many of the islands, is the king of fruits, and the orange the queen. To give place aux dames, the of fruits does not exist in Perak at present ; queen

but the country

is

eminently suitable for

its

and those specimens which are brought Tringanu, on the east coast, are little inferior

growth, in

from

in flavour

to those of St. Michael.

The king

is

of fruits, however, flourishes largely, and It grows upon a large peculiar to the archipelago.

tree

something similar to a walnut, ripe

fruit

being seen upon the tree at the same time

and flowers ;

and, as if

"SAEONG" AND "KRIS."

60

to startle the learned gentleman who is said to have refuted- the atheist about the acorn, the durian will

grow

as large as a man's head, is covered closely with

terribly sharp spines, set hexagonally skin,

and when

ripe

and

it

falls, if it

upon

its

hard

should strike

anyone under the tree, severe injury or death may be the result. So fully awake are the natives, to the danger of a blow from a falling durian, that in populous places they take the trouble to stretch nets at

some

distance from the ground, where a road or pathway leads beneath a durian grove, so as to catch the ripe fruit as it falls.

Five faint marks exist on the

which show the

line of the carpels, like those of

shell,

an

orange, and following these the fruit can be opened with a heavy knife. Inside there are, to each carpel or division, two or three seeds as big as chestnuts, and these are surrounded

by a

rich thick cream,

upon

the flavour of which opinions are wonderfully divided. The natives are excessively devoted to it, and some

Europeans declare it to be like a rich buttery custard flavoured with almonds while Mr. Wallace says, ;

"with

it

come wafts

of flavour that call to

cream-cheese, onion sauce,

brown

sherry,

mind

and other

incongruities."

The writer's testimony is that it is, no doubt, some palates a very delicious fruit or food, as

may be termed, but when over

ripe,

its

odour

to it

is

The disagreeable odour of this a degree. fruit has formed the basis of many an anecdote, and if foetid to

THE DUEIAN.

61

one or two are given in passing, it is only what would be expected when the durian is mentioned.

A

high

on

official,

his

way from England

to China,

was sumptuously entertained by the then resident This gentleman was a great councillor at Penang. admirer of the

fruit,

and had one of the very best

his

garden could produce placed upon the table. On his lordship being asked his opinion of it, he replied " It may have been very good sharply to his host :

last season,

Mr. L., but,

rather not venture on

it

if

you

will excuse

me,

I

would

now."

Ladies are supposed to look upon this production with extreme disgust, but get the credit of being very The story goes that a lady, partial to it nevertheless. the descendant of one of the old settlers of -the peninsula, made a confession in an unguarded moment,

when, being condoled with upon the question of having to go and live in a very out-of-the-way bungaloh, she declared she should not feel dull, for there would be

plenty of durians there.

So strange and unwholesome that

is

the odour of this

the quality of temporarily destroying the sense of smell in those who partake of it otherwise this intense fondness for fruit,

it

is

possible

it

may

possess

;

the fruit seems almost a mystery. It may be detected at a considerable distance, and about the nearest

approximation to kiln

when

largely,

its

peculiar smell

in full burning.

and esteem

it

above

is

that of a brick-

The natives all others.

cultivate it

An

old writer

"8&RONG* AND "KRIS."

62

says that the Siamese would barter their liberty to obtain it ; certain it is that a Malay would give a considerable portion of his day's pay to obtain one. The mangosteen too deserves special notice, for inviting appearance fruit that

the writer tree

and

delicious flavour.

its-

It is a

would be highly esteemed in England; and is glad to announce that plants of this fruit-

which have been sent

to British

Guiana are now

and probably growing, favoured by the latitude by the time these pages appear will be in full fruit at Trinidad, whither they were sent. The distance ;

from Demerara or Trinidad

comparatively so short that there is the possibility of the mangosteen at This it length finding its way to an English table. is hoped may prove to be the case, as all efforts

made by

is

who tried various methods, failed home from Singapore in decent con-

the writer,

to get the fruit dition.

The pine-apple

wherever planted, but grapes are only produced with great difficulty.

The

of

varieties

flourishes well

the

custard-apple,

mango, and

guava, pomea number of

granate, alligator-pear, native fruits, grow abundantly at the Settlements,

and

kinds are carefully planted round the The pommeloe, or their homes by Malays. shaddock, flourishes well, but is an importation from the East and West Indies there are several kinds toofruit-trees of

many

;

of citrons

and

pisang, as the

limes, while the plantain, banana, or

Malays

call it, exists in

a great

many

BEEAD-FEUIT AND CASHEW. varieties,

known being

best

the

names of the

stone, gold,

those

bearing the

sweet, egg, king,

sultan,

monkey, and finger plantain. The bread-fruit is of two kinds, only one of which is edible, but it is not held in the same esteem as in There

a pandanus too? which bears a fruit as large as a durian. It is a fine The fruit is,. object in the marsh lagoons of Perak. in favour with the Malays, however, smooth, and not

the South Sea Islands.

is

though much sought after by the monkeys. Perhaps one of the most singular of the fruits of the peninsula is the cashew-apple, which abounds, and is remarkable

two fruits in one ; an apple above, with The dookoo the familiar kidney- shaped nut below. is a large round fruit, and grows on a comparatively

for being like

The nam-nam, an acid

small tree.

has the peculiarity of growing on parent-tree

papaya

is

;

while,

apple-like

some unknown

for

fruit,,

the stem of the reason,

the

said to possess the quality of giving ten-

derness to meat placed beneath its boughs. curious seed-pod growing commonly in Perak

A

deserves mention.

from

tip to tip

;

It

but

is

it is

only a

little

over an inch

peculiar from its taking the

exact shape of a buffalo's horns and frontal. It is oneof those freaks of nature that are so hard to explain, for in this case

no possible reason can be assigned

for its

eccentric shape.

Very few

cases of injurious

from partaking of

fruit.

symptoms seem

There

is

to arise

one kind however,

"SARONG" AND

64

the rokam, which

unripe

state,

"KRIS."

very unwholesome and cases of death from its

unknown amongst

is

children.

When

if

taken in an

effects are

ripe

not

however

it

resembles a gooseberry in flavour, and though hard, becomes very pulpy on pressure, and is eaten in this

by the Malays and some Europeans. The indigenous fruits of the peninsula

state

almost endless, and a far

beyond the

are

full description of all

limits of this work.

however

would be

CHAPTER

VII.

Yegelable-food supply Curries and their preparation Kachang The gourd family European vegetables Herbs Indigo

Pepper Gambier Sugar Coffee Tobacco Cinchona Kicegrowing Clearing the jungle Medicinal and poisonous plants.

of the first things a settler thinks of in a new country is the supply of food to which he has been

ONE

When, however, the

accustomed.

resident in Perak

homely old vegetables of his native land, doomed to be disappointed. Still, if he be not

looks for the

he

is

too strictly

wedded

to conventionality, he will find

withholding the produce of a temperate region, been prodigal in her supplies of A stranger will look that belonging to the tropics. that nature has, in

in vain for the simple potato,

even though

it

was

originally the growth of a foreign shore, for all attempts to cultivate it here result in the production of wretched little tubers not much larger than peas. In its place,

however, there

yam, which

is

the dry- eating, farinaceous

flourishes abundantly.

The great dish of the the reader imagine that

east is curry it

is

;

but

let

not

composed with a dry

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

66

yellowish powder,

The

truth.

fact

for

nothing that

is,

is

farther

the native

from the

curry

more

resembles the preparation for a salad, inasmuch as is

composed of vegetables in

and

it

their green, or ripe state

how many

is

it ;

things are introduced

surprising One of the principal ingreinto the savoury dish. dients is the contents of the cocoa-nut, crushed with Its

Turmeric

milk into a pulp.

used.

is

grown, and largely

The pods

curry, while

a substitute sembles

its

of the moringa tree enter into the scraped root is used by Europeans as

for horse-radish,

in flavour.

The

which

fresh chillies

it

strongly re-

and capsicums

of the country are considered indispensable, while the heart of the cocoa-nut tree, called cocoa-nut cabbage, is

another ingredient, though often used as a salad, it has a delicious nutty taste.

in which form

Under the name the

many

of Jcachang the Malays classify

varieties of beans, peas,

and

vetches.

These

they commonly eat parched but, after the fashion of our gardeners with the sea-kale, they often imitate the ;

Chinese plan, and grow some kinds in the dark, so as to make them tender for mixing in curries. We have It there, too, a creeper, whose name is not known.

grows very

readily,

and

its

leaf

strongly resembles

spinach.

As might be supposed,

all plants of the gourd come to great Water-melons family flourish rapidly. cucumbers are plentiful and the Malays perfection ;

;

grow

a large

number

of gourds,

some of which are

VEGETABLE FOOD. edible,

Among

67

others useful for vessels for carrying water. other vegetables grown by the people are a

kind of edible arum

;

sweet potatoes

;

and the bandicoi,

which grows on a small' shrub, bearing a flower

like

This, with a curious three-cornered vege-

a hibiscus.

table, eight or

ten inches long,

is

much

appreciated.

The Malays have also a great affection for onions. The climate is, however, capable of producing, and does produce where the Chinese have settled, pulsej There is also no doubt radishes, and a coarse lettuce.

many kinds of familiar English vegetables might be grown, if care were taken to study the suitable time for planting, and to protect the tender shoots Much has been attempted, though from the sun. that

In the higher parts of little has yet been done. the country, on the slopes of the mountains, would be the most suitable spots. few enterprising gen-

A

tlemen have made attempts in the Settlements, and good English peas have been grown. Upon one occasion a cabbage was produced that would have been an

ornament to a Covent Garden

stall;

but that won-

had been tenderly nurtured in a flowerand was its owner's anxious and almost only

derful cabbage pot,

in Province Wellesley, however, asparagus has been grown with success. Herbs flourish, mint growing well in the

care

;

country, a leaf with the flavour of and when sage remembered that Perak runs from the low sea-

and there it is

shore

is

swamps upward

;

to

the central hill-summits, p 2

68

"SARONG" AND "KElS."

abounding in

fertile soil,

and

plentifully supplied with

evident that, by management, the fruit or vegetable of most parts of the world might be

water,

it

is

produced with

ease.

Advantage has been taken of this by the growers of the various commodities which are raised upon a large Indigo has been tried by the Chinese settlers at Singapore with the most gratifying results. It scale.

and

thrives well,

the

many

India.

difficulties

growth is apparently free from which attend its production in

used by the Malays, who have learned its value in dyeing from the

The

probably Hindoos.

its

juice

is

a plant natural to the Straits, and flourishes well, but it has the peculiarity of quickly is

Pepper

exhausting the it

it

;

The Chinese and Malays grow

a production that has a ready Heat, moisture, and shade are indispensable and it may not be generally known that black

readily,

sale.

to

and

soil.

it

is

and white pepper are, like black and green produce of the same plant.

Gambier

and would It is

is

likewise largely

grown

tea,

the

in the Straits,

flourish well in poorly -cultivated

Perak.

produced from a shrub, whose leaves are picked

and boiled down into a syrup, poured into moulds, and then cut into cubes when dry. It is largely used

by the Malays

for masticating with their betel.

a drug, however,

it is

As

very valuable for tanning pur-

poses, containing, as it does,

some

fifty

per cent, of

COFFEE AND TOBACCO. pure tannin. the nets and

It is this sails

drug which

is

69

used to give

of our fishing-boats at

home

their

Cotton was tried in Singapore by General Cavenagh, and it grew with a fine It was merely an experiment in a long staple. garden, and the plants suffered from blight, but it

cinnamon-brown

colour.

Perak

is

one of the productions for which the

is

eminently adapted. To continue the experiments that have been made,

soil of

sugar may be mentioned in fact, so successfully has the cane been grown that a company is reported to have just purchased ninety thousand acres of land ;

in the country for a sugar plantation. Coffee

and Java are

so well associated in

most

it will be no surprise to say that the berry has been successfully grown in the peninsula. Tea culture is in its infancy ; but it has been satisfac-

people's minds, that

settlement bordering on Perak, namely, Province Wellesley, where the clove has also been grown. These have been but tentative matters, torily

tried

in

the

by the Malays in their primitive manner, the

for,

except

soil

of Perak, which offers itself for the cultivation of

these valuable commodities, has hardly been broken, and is in fact a wilderness of fertility, waiting for the

busy hand of man. Another plant too would

flourish well in Perak,

namely, the tobacco, already grown in small quantities

and judges of the soil suited for this aromatic production assert, that if the planters who

by the Malays

;

"SlBON&y AND "KRIS."

70

have so successfully adventured in growing it just across the Strait at Deli in Sumatra, had first seen the land on the banks of the Perak, they would have had by preference their plantations there. At the present time the Deli cigars have found their way into the English market, where they promise to be

formidable rivals of the well-known productions of Manilla.

Cinchona, the tree from which quinine is obtained, should also be tried, as a paying cultivation, for it has

succeeded admirably in Ceylon, India, and the neigh-

Most of these are growths that bouring isle of Java. be looked as may upon experiments though such as are almost bound to succeed. It is however only fair namely, an attempt to reintroduce that valuable spice the nutmeg. This has been tried without much success at Penang and Singapore, and to refer to a failure

no adequate reason can be assigned

for

the

very

extensive failure of the plant about twenty years ago. Perhaps Perak may be found the happy medium,

lying as

it

does between the two settlements.

the regular cultivations of the state, rice must stand first, forming as it does the staple food of

Among

the Malay. Wherever padi-fields are planted off the banks of the rivers and drain-canals, the rice is grown with very good results, while the waving fields of

sugar-cane and maize plainly show that the general cultivation of these crops might be as well carried out in

Perak as in Province Wellesley in the north.

Here

RICE-GROWING. the sugar estates have for years past realised the most

happy results. The rice-growing

is

of

two kinds

namely, the wet

land and the dry land. The latter on the hill-sides is exclusively the native method ; but for the wet growth the Malay

is

indebted to the Indians

Sumatra, and from fields

whom

this

and producing the

peninsula.

mode

who

settled in

of irrigating the

spread through the prepared, the grain is

rice

After the land

is

not sown after the fashion of corn in Europe, but in nurseries and when the tender young plants are ;

eight inches high, they are lifted and transplanted, after removing the tops, being placed in clusters of. six or eight, pretty closely together, in the field for their reception,

The Malays

and

are

ready

in rows one foot apart.

good

agriculturists,

but do

little

until they are obliged, being of a listless idle nature

and they

suffer

from the

effects

;

of one of our old

policies namely, that of discouraging rice cultivation, and letting them trust to the importation of this staple

from places farther south. The plough used is a primitive affair, drawn by buffaloes. It is a heavy pole, with a wooden fork to act as coulter,

angle

by way

and a bar of wood inserted of handle.

an oblique The clods are broken by at

dragging over them a heavy beam, and the land is harrowed by means of another heavy beam full of spikes.

The sowing

in the nursery

are generally performed

and planting out

by women, who, when the padi

"SAEONG" AND "KRIS."

72

is

ready, cut

it

about six inches below the

off

This they do sometimes with a

by means ment, by

sickle,

ear.

but generally

of an

ingeniously-contrived little instruwhose action, aided by the fingers, the rice-

stalks are severed as if

by a

pair of scissors, leaving

The husking of the stems in the gatherers' hands. the rice is contrived by means of a tin-bound pestle and a mortar, and the woman's difficulty is to regulate her blows so as not to crush the grain. An ingenious American machine has for some time been introduced into the peninsula, consisting of a

heavy

shaft with

pegs or cogs, which alternately raise a series of pestles, or stampers, which

husk the

grain.

fall

in as

The Chinese

primitive machines driven

Tapioca

is

many also

mortars, and so

have established

by water power.

largely cultivated in the peninsula,

and

would grow well in Perak, but at the present ruling In prices it would hardly be a paying adventure.

it

fact in

forming plantations here, as in

parts of the world, the labour question To meet this, however, there difficulty.

that

Coolie emigration will

still

many is is

other

the great the hope

be fostered by the

Indian government especially as now every safefor the protection of labourers, made guard has been ;

and

homes

for their return to their

;

in fact,

every

provision that could satisfy the most hypercritical on such matters. The present Indian famine could not,

but had greater facibeen given for emigration from India, many of

of course, have been foreseen lities

;

CLEARING THE JUNGLE. those terrible deaths from starvation might have been averted, while the native states of the peninsula would

have been correspondingly improved.

The grass,

flourishing

growth of

from which essential

not lack mention

;

citronella

oils

are

and lemon-

extracted,

must

while the question of grass naturally

suggests pasture-land, which is somewhat wanting, for this is no home of grazing cattle, like the park-like stretches

of Australia.

There

is

however a great

variety of grasses in the peninsula. Capital sweet nutritious meadow-grass is grown at Penang and

Singapore, upon which both horses and ponies thrive well; but the grass generally of the Settlements,

except in Northern Perak,

is

not particularly good or

fattening for cattle.

In connection with the clearing away of the jungle,

and preparing the ground for cultivation, there are one or two curious points to consider. One is, that if the

tall trees are

left,

cut

down

the brushwood should be

some other growth, rise and produce fever.

or its place supplied with

otherwise

miasma

is

likely to

Secondly, the action of nature ing away the trees and brush,

is

so rapid that, in clear-

or, as the Malays call it, no more should be cleared than is required tabas-tabang, for use, otherwise the ladang will run into lallang. In

other words, the cleared but uncultivated land will be speedily overrun by a rank grass (Gramen caricosum) the roots of which are more expensive and difficult to clear

away than the jungle that previously occupied

"

"SARONG" AND

74

the

This grass

soil.

is

KRIS."

so plentiful,

and

so overruns the

country, growing in some places to a height of five feet, that it is a pity that it cannot be turned to some

manufacturing account. It is said to make fair paper, but its success in this way is not yet publicly known.

The Malays, however, use it for thatching, and cattlebedding, and stuff their pillows with its flowers here however its utility ends. :

Like the inhabitants of Java, the Malays have a

good notion of what vegetable productions are

avail-

able for medicinal purposes.

Unfortunately, too, their knowledge has extended strongly to poisons, and the Malay women have the credit of a great insight into those infusions which produce death. Amongst the medicinal plants, the fresh roots of

the male pomegranate is, as an infusion, a specific where a vermifuge is needed. For chest complaints,

a jelly is

made from

is

mixed with

sugar,

a sea-weed called agar-agar.

and not

at all unpalatable

;

It

but

the Malays probably owe the knowledge of this production to the Chinese immigrants, who bring with them no lack of medical knowledge in fact their :

preparation

of peppermint

medicine, and invaluable in

One

little

is

an almost universal

its properties.

shrub, called tulvee, which

is

in favour

with the Indians for placing near the graves of the departed, has a black seed which when- mixed in

water gives out a kind of white pulp. This is held in great esteem by the natives for its power in cooling

POISONOUS PLANTS. the blood,

and

is

often taken with

75

lime-juice

and

Among the poisonous plants, the daturah is sugar. common in the peninsula ; and it has been remarked when a person is under the effect of its poison, he constantly observes his fingers, and keeps passing

that

his

thumb over them In a district like

most peculiar way. Perak, however, where over the

in a

greater part of the land nature reigns supreme, these notes of the vegetable productions are necessarily very far from being complete ; they are, however, the result of observation,

and show the reader how lush must be

the growth of this tropic

soil.

CHAPTER

VIII.

Noxious animals The python Varieties of serpent Leeches The tortoise and turtle Dangerous saurians Government rewards Fish and fishing Various methods.

SELF-PRESERVATION

is

so truly the first

law of nature,

only natural for a visitor to a far-off foreign shore to eagerly inquire as to what noxious creatures that

it is

are there,

and dwell

especially

upon the

reptiles

;

for

the travellers' tales that have been brought home, respecting the acts and deeds of huge serpents, that crush buffaloes in their folds and then swallow them,

have been as startling as those relating to the rapid

and

fatal action of the

poison of the smaller snakes. Perak being a land of moist jungle, with large swamps and lagoons, lying beneath a tropic sun, naturally

but as these creatures, wild animals, hurry away from the step

possesses its noxious reptiles like almost all

of

man, accidents are very

When

it is

;

rare.

stated that boa- constrictors are said to

be found to the length of thirty feet, they might reasonably be expected to be the most alarming of the peninsula reptiles, but they are rarely seen, and are

THE PYTHON.

77

most part dangerous to fowls. In fact, the writer shot one that had invaded his fowl-house in for the

Labuan, and gorged poultry that, like the

itself

to

such an extent with

mouse of the

fable, it

could not

crawl back by the hole through which it had entered. This creature was eighteen feet long, and nearly as That pythons grow to excepthick as a man's leg. tionally large size there can be

may be taken

feet

One

no doubt, but twenty

as the size of a well-grown specimen.

of the keenest sportsmen in Singapore gives

an account of a monster that he encountered also

instances

larger prey,

the

that

which

wounded a boar

and

boa feeds occasionally on

can seize and crush.

it

;

in the jungle,

He had

and was following

its

track with his dogs, when on penetrating farther into the forest, he found the dogs at bay, and advancing To cautiously, prepared for another shot at the boar.

he found that the dogs were baying a huge python, which had seized the boar, thrown its coils round the unfortunate beast, and was his surprise, however,

crushing

it

A

to death.

well-directed shot laid the

on the ground, and it proved to be about thirty feet long but such instances of extreme

reptile writhing

:

length are very rare.

There are some

fifteen or sixteen different

kinds of

and many of them beautifully marked known to the Malays, who however look upon them with the greatest unconcern, knowing from long exsnakes

perience that their nature

is

to crawl rapidly

away

"8I&ONQ" AND "KRIS." into the jungle.

They

vary, from a

viper re-

little

sembling an English adder, to the black cobra, which is much as five feet in length. These cobras resemble

as

those of India in peculiar rise

manner

their spectacle markings,

in

and the

which they puff out the neck, and

up on the lower portion

of the body; but, poisonous

as they are, the Indian convicts in the Settlements will seize

them by the

tail

with one hand, and draw them

rapidly through the other till the fingers grasp the neck, when they allow them to twine round the arm.

serpent though, about eighteen inches in length, and peculiar in its shape, as it is equal in size from head to tail, these extreme points

There

is

one

little

This is believed by the being wonderfully alike. Malays to be extremely poisonous, and is more dreaded

than the black cobra very uncommon.

;

but injuries from snakes are

For the cure of snake-bites the

common

people use a stone which, though not the bezoar-stone, is said to possess the quality of adhering to the wound and imbibing all the poison though a ;

European would probably prefer the application of ammonia and strong internal doses of brandy or whisky, to increase the action of the pulse, and arrest the horrible stagnation which appears to be one of the consequences of serpent venom in the blood.

The

principal food of the smaller serpents

doubtedly the frogs of the marshy parts.

is

un-

These

abound, making a deafening noise after a Their little green relative of the trees, with shower.

reptiles

LEECHES. liis

70

sucker-furnished feet, merely emits a faint pipe

but he

is far

more

;

active than his

ground companions, a pretty object amidst the leaves. Amongst the pests of the moist places of the jungle are the

and

is

leeches

;

for

these

creatures,

directly

the

earth

trembles with the step of man or beast, stretch themselves out in savage hunger or, it should be said,

and by some means or another manage to make

thirst

a lodgment upon the body of him who passes through the woods. Perhaps their presence is not at first felt, and they may not be discovered till the journey's end, when a bath reveals the little monsters gorged with

How they

their sanguinary repast.

a man's trousers-legs to keep

them

is

at

a puzzle is

;

manage to get up and the only way

to tie the trousers tightly

bay round the ankle, place them inside the boots, and freely anoint the latter with lime-juice, which the little

pests hold in especial abomination.

Tortoises are often seen in the

swampy

one of them being a curious reptile with a large

away

past.

;

and very quick movement ; scuttling in a very different fashion to its shelly com-

snout,

panion, case,

places

soft shell, a

who calmly

and waits

head and legs inside

its

danger that threatens

is

pulls its

until the

Their relatives

the turtles

abound

off

the

and especially about the Binding Islands. One of the smaller isles is chosen by the turtles for the

coast,

purpose of laying their eggs, and they come and go with the greatest regularity, a few Malays inhabiting

"SARONG" AND "KEIS."

80

the

the

collection of this egg In the neighbouring state of Quedah they are so abundant that they are made a Government

specially for

place

harvest.

monopoly. These eggs are about the size of those of a bantam, but have a soft leathery skin, while the contents have a peculiar astringent flavour but they ;

are looked

upon

as a great delicacy.

The

turtles off

the shore are very sluggish in their movements, and may at times be seen lying asleep on the calm surface

when a clever swimmer will approach cautiously, turn them back downwards, and then float them ashore boat fashion for when turned of the transparent water

;

;

they are as helpless at sea as on land.

Among its

lizards is the beautiful flying species,

with

and one known in Perak

curious extensive web,

as

the iguana, which it resembles but it is only about eighteen inches long, and it is commonly called a ;

blood-sucker, probably because

it

never sucks blood.

There are also numbers of smaller

very rapid in their enemies of the flies. proverbs of the

manner

in

lizards,

movements, and

Malay

In is

fact,

which are

the

decided

one of the favourite

derived from the deliberate

which the lizard

seizes its prey.

It answers

to our L&tmfestina lente, the hasten slowly of moralists' The great dangerous saurians are three, and pens.

known species.

to the

Malays

and copper abound in the rivers and

as the gouro, frog,

These alligators

estuaries ; and occasionally a death or serious injury occurs through an incautious approach to a river-bank

DANGEROUS SAUEIANS. where they are known to abound. habitats are near the mouths of the

81

Their favourite rivers, especially

the Jurumas and Bruas, on the coast.

These reptiles run up to twenty-five feet in length but are then heavy and sluggish of movement, and ;

no

comparison for dangerous qualities with those of twelve or fifteen feet in length, which are bear

It is no extremely powerful and rapid in swimming. uncommon thing for the Malay boatmen to warn their

passengers,

when going up

hands over the

a river, not to hang their

people often inadvertently do, to feel the cool fresh current pass between the fingers, for

an

sides, as

alligator will often

snap at the hand

;

one sweep

of the powerful tail sending the creature with a rush

through the water. An instance was known to the writer of a

man

being seized across the loins by one of these creatures,

which tried to drag him into the presence of

mind enough

river,

but he had

to thrust his fingers into its

when

the agony caused the monster to quit its Travellers with sporting proclivities have ample hold. opportunities for a shot at them, as they lie basking eyes,

on the

mud

in the

mangrove swamps

;

but

it is

a

great rarity to get one, for they immediately rush for the river if wounded, and sink directly, while very often their scaly hide saves them from injury. They are not seen very far

occasional visit

now and then

up the

seeming to like an to the brackish water, or even a cruise

out to

sea.

river,

"SAEONG" AND

82

"

KRIS."

The Malays have a stimulus offered them by Government for the destruction of these reptiles, in the shape of a reward of twelve dollars for every one taken, even as fifty dollars are offered for the destruc-

but without this premium they have a deadly hatred for the dangerous creature, and are tion of a tiger

;

very ingenious in their plans for

make

its

destruction.

They

a large hook, very ingeniously contrived, so that

not be disgorged, and attach it carefully with ligatures beneath the wing of a white fowl. Expeit shall

rience has taught chain,

and

bite

hook

fasten the

them that the

alligator can

through an ordinary rope to a rope

composed of

;

break a so they

loose strands

made from

the gamooty palm. Then, after securing one end of the rope which is of a pretty good length to a tree, they picket the fowl to a peg on the river bank; the whole process being like setting a bank-

runner for pike in an English stream. The alligator generally takes the unfortunate bait, swallows it whole, and returns to the river, to find that the loose strands of palm-rope go between its teeth, and cannot be bitten through and the end of the monster is that it is ignominiously dragged from the river by a dozen ;

Malays, and despatched. scale

and

dangerous

to

This

some purpose,

is

fishing

on a large

for the alligators are a

pest.

The Malays

are,

however, famous fishermen

;

their

amphibious life making them adepts in anything conAnd this is in nowise nected with river or sea,

FISH AND FISHING.

surprising,

when we remember

83

that fish in some form

or another is one of the staples of their simple food.

Give a Malay

can in addition obtain a cannot, he

which he

is

rolls

and the

fish, salt, rice,

vates near his hut, and he

is

he

culti-

content, especially if he

little

content with his

up

fruits

Java tobacco.

If

he

own rough growth,

into a large cigarette in a piece of

palm-leaf sheath ; or else smokes with no little enjoyment out of a pipe made from the short joint of a

bamboo for bowl, and a stem composed

of a thin shoot ;

while, should he be at a loss for a light in the jungle,

he can obtain piece of

it

by rubbing the sharp edge of one

bamboo on a notch cut

in another, the sharp

and the dust igniting inside. variety abound in the rivers and

piece sawing through

Fish of infinite

and frequently, after heavy rains, small drains and ditches that have been fishless are to pools of Perak

;

be found swarming with small kinds of five or six inches in length, offering themselves for capture by the boys and women. For not only is fishing an occupation with the Malays, and a means of getting their

livelihood,

but one of their favourite amuse-

ments and it is no uncommon thing to see an old lady, venerable in years, come out of her hut, armed with ;

bamboo rod and

line,

and

sit

and

generally with pretty good success.

generally consist of

what the people

fish for

hours,

Her take call

will

the ikan

sambilang, or fish of nine, so called from the number of barbs at its head. This fish abounds in the ponds G 2

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

84

running streams, and is a big-headed fellow, something between a burbot and a gudgeon. It is a great favourite, and adds a relish to the frugal meal of the captors. near the

rice-fields,

and

in the

Fond as both sexes are of rod-fishing, the Malays make frequent use in their rivers of the small seine or drag-net, whose lower edge is loaded with weights to keep it at the bottom. Their way of using it is much the same as at home here in England, in dragging a

small river or pond. It is stretched across from side to side of a river, and then cautiously drawn to the

bank, great care being needed to prevent the escape of the fish. During the disturbances at Perak, while

were quartered at Qualla Kungsa, the Deputy-commissioner became an adept in the use of the troops

the drag-net, catching some good bags of a kind of perch, which formed a very agreeable variety to the sameness of the up-country mess-table.

The

cast-net

is

also

known

to the Malays,

and

this

they throw with great dexterity but they are not always so straightforward, from an English point of ;

view, in their fishing, for they not unfrequently poison the fish in convenient places, in a very poacher-like fashion, using the root of a creeping shrub called toobah.

This, like cocculus indicus, has the property

of drugging the fish, which eat it with avidity, and then come to the surface, and are easily taken by

hand.

This same root

for destroying insect life

is

largely used

by the Chinese

amongst their growing plants

;

SHOOTING FISH. and

after

some

the

85

writer

has

succeeded, of kindness the Singapore friends, in getting through it safely to the Botanic Gardens at Kew, where it is

now

effort,

flourishing.

The Perak streams most probably contain trout, and they abound in curious examples of fish life, some of which are remarkably brilliant in their colouring.

One little fellow is of a brilliant scarlet, with a broad band of bright blue across its sides. Another is remarkable for

its

pugnacity

;

for if a couple confined in

separate bottles or globes are brought near to one another, they commence with a severe examination,

and end by setting up

their dorsal fins,

and butting

at each other fiercely, like a couple of piscine rams.

though, is the little shooting-fish, which, if kept in confinement in basin or tank, will sail round and round, firing a water

Perhaps the greatest curiosity of

all,

shot every time, like a shell from a tiny cannon, at any unfortunate fly or ant that may be on the side of

the fountain or basin, or upon an overhanging twig, and this with good aim, till the insect is brought down

and swallowed.

When

creatures are in the

same

three or four of these

little

basin, they will fire in turn,

one after the other, with singular regularity. They are prettily marked black-and-white fish, some three or four inches long, are not

uncommon

and principally found in Siam, but in the waters of the peninsula.

CHAPTER Sea-fish

Condiment or caviare Shell-fish The Malay fisherman The skipjack

Delicacies for the table

and pearls Coral groves The kaylong.

THE

IX.

sea lias

its

curious fish off the

one of which, the ekaii buntal or common. It is beaked somewhat has the power of inflating

Malayan

coast,

is

very

like a parrot,

and

pillow-fish,

itself into

a globular form

when alarmed over

it

or touched, an act which sets up all a wonderful array of spines. It has, more-

over, the peculiarity of being vocal, for it

when touched

emits a sound somethiDg between a grunt and the

hoot of an owl. it is

The Malays never

taken with other

fish,

eat

they shake

it,

it

but when out of the

net upon the sea-shore, where it may often be found in all stages between life and death.

As in

other parts of the world, it is to the sea that the common people look for their best supply of fish for food. Of those which are brought to the table of

the European resident in the Settlements, the principal a are the tungeree, the red mullet, and the pomfret very delicious fish not unlike a turbot. There is also

SEA

FISH.

87

the tongue-fish, which somewhat resembles our different in flavour.

though very crabs, and cray-fish are

plentiful.

sole,

Prawns, shrimps,

Both rock and

river

be had, but they are elongated in shell, and not equal to our natives. The mussel, too, is not

may

oysters

unknown.

As a matter

of course the fishing-grounds of Perai

are not developed,

and thus during the investigation

of the country,

besides a kind of gray mullet but north and south in the settled

little

could be obtained

;

parts the waters teem with fish. Among other kinds, a little smelt is brought in, a delicious yellow fish with

a silver stripe along

its side

a kind of skate

;

;

sharks,

especially the hammer-headed, abound, and the smaller kinds are caught and eaten, being frequently exposed

Salt fish

for sale.

that caught

is

much

and dried

eaten

by the Malays, and

at Salangore,

under Chinese

and quite as satiswhich is always obtain-

direction, is admirable as a relish,

factory as the fish-roe of Siak, able in the markets.

that

is,

people

of flavour

To the

who do not

may

lovers of the durian

object to peculiar gaminess

be recommended for a

relish,

with

curry, the blachang of the Malays.

generally made by the fishermen on the sands, where, in a kind of bag,

This favourite condiment

Malay

is

they trample semi-putrefied shrimps and prawns into a mass, salt

it,

and keep

it.

Tastes are various, and

odorous compound is much in favour. These fishers are fond of collecting shell-fish from the sands

this

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

88

gone down, very much as it is done our own shores facts which place the civilised upon and the uncivilised nations very closely together in this respect. In Perak they gather quantities of the after tlie tide lias

;

no uncommon thing to see a the sea-shore busy with a kind of hook and a bag or basket, going cautiously over the sand till his well-trained eye lights upon a peculiarlylittle

donax, and

it is

Malay down upon

shaped hole, when the barbed iron is thrust down and one of the familiar razor shells, or solens,is dragged out. In such waters as there are here, a few steps in the direction of oyster-culture must have abundant results. not now sought for. In bygone times, fully a century back, the Malays had the reputation of being great pearl-fishers but now

The

pearl-oyster exists, but

it is

;

some of which are very fine, are obtained from those of their nation who trade from the Moluccas.

their pearls,

They make a lustrous

curious assertion respecting this softlygem, and that is, that if pearls are kept

together in a box they will increase in number ; a fact (?) this that might prove valuable to the possessor of a few

good specimens. has been made to the beauty of the

Allusion

submarine groves of

but the pen fails in any wondrous scene spread out

coral,

attempt to describe the

beneath him who gazes down through the limpid water in the neighbourhood of a coral reef. Zoophytes of endless graceful forms and lovely tints are glowing in these strange groves, where

sea-anemones spread

SEA-SNAKES. their life -destroying petals,

89

and large medusae, from

a foot to eighteen inches in diameter, float or navigate The rainbow-like tints slowly the clear depths below.

sting-armed creatures are glorious in the sunshine ; and the beholder often pauses to ask himself why was all this beauty bestowed upon such lowly of these

works of the Creator's hand.

But

ere the question

has well been formed, other creatures of beauty glide by, in the shape of the brilliantly-marked fish which

make

It is off these submarine groves their home. these coral-bound reefs that sea-snakes may often be

seen writhing through the water,

and

many

of

them

five

might be imagined that the power of the sun, and the intensity of the light shed through the crystal waters, had something to do with six feet in length.

It

the brilliancy of tint and strong contrasts of the scales of the fish. Stripes seem mostly the fashion, for

many

of

them

are of the perch family

;

and vivid

yellows and scarlets are boldly contrasted with velvety blacks.

The Malays who proceed for

many

fishing excursion. will contain

two

live near the coast will frequently

miles out to sea,

The canoe used at the outside.

when bound on is

It

a

very small, and is

navigated by means of a paddle and a matting sail and the Malay, armed with his line, hooks, and bait generally shrimps goes off quite happy and content for his long trip. ;

He

usually protects his head with a circular hat made from the nipah-palm, and ornaments it with a

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

90

shaving-brush-like tuft of the black fibres of the gamooty. This hat is parasol as well, and screens his

head and shoulders from the vertical rays of the sun. In the stern of the upright

little

craft

a grooved Avooden

placed, for guiding the line

is

while,

;

great depths are fished, a small windlass for ease in getting it up.

At times the

of the

object

is

when

contrived

Malay fisherman's

that curious specimen of natural history, the skipjack (caranx) ; a long snipe-beaked fish, which may often be seen playing along the surface of the attentions

is

smooth water, darting forty or fifty yards

out,

upon

touch the surface as

it

and then bobbing along its tail,

propels

for

hardly seeming to itself

along.

The

sometimes capturing these strange fish, the poopoot, with thirty or or their smaller relatives

Malay forty

will set

baits

furnished

around his boat, at the end of

float-

lines.

The people have a proverb relating to this fish " Ikan todo lungar Singapore," to the effect that some day or other it will force a landing on Singapore.

sometimes dangerous to bathers an instance having occurred off the coast, in which one of these fish darted into a man's mouth, and it was with no It is

little

;

difficulty

that

it

was withdrawn when the

bather was brought ashore to a planter's estate. Cockles are a favourite article of diet with the

Malays.

These

little

bivalves seem to have abounded

SHELL FISH. on the west coast for

ages.

in the allusion to the

country, district,

these

shells

there

feet

a puzzle, and

before intimated

geographical features of the are to be seen in the Muda

enormous mounds, in height. How they came

Province Wellesley,

twenty to thirty is

As was

91

in

one which some competent

The only theory geologist may perhaps unravel. that suggests itself to the writer, but far from satisfies him,

is,

that at some early date before the elevation

of the country, these must have been points where the currents of river and sea met, and there swept up together the fish that were plentiful near the shore.

Mention of that singular relic of the Old-world It crustaceans, the king-crab, must not be omitted. exceedingly like the picture of that curious fossil the cephalaspis, or buckler-head, and its shells are

is

It forms a part of the very common on the shore. food of the Malays, but to a European it is rather

objectionable-looking creature, though not more so perhaps than the cuttle-fish, which are great favourites

.an

with the Chinese, for whose especial benefit they are often caught and dried. Of the shells generally

sea, river,

writer was unable to obtain

any information, and

and land

the his

stay in Perak itself was too limited in duration to

enable

him

to include

them

in his researches.

This

is

the more to be regretted, as it is quite untried ground, where fine specimens could be obtained. large selection made by the writer in the Straits and

A

"SARONG" AND

92

"KRIS."

Labuan, and rivers south of Perak, became merged in the collection of the late Mr. Cuming, of Gower Street.

Mention has been made of the manner in which the Malays use the ordinary drag and casting nets for the capture of fish, but they have a more wholesale

way of obtaining their finny prey, by means may be looked upon as an extended fish-trap.

of

what

This

is

the kaylong or fishing stakes, which are planted in the shore, so as to run out sometimes as far as half a mile.

In

fact, at

the British settlements, these rows of stakes

would become a dangerous interruption to navigation, were it not for the vigilance of the officials, whose duty it is

to prevent their too great increase.

Kaylongs have been in use from a very distant time, but whether invented by the Malays, who are one of the great mankind, it is not easy to say. no reason why it should not have been one

fishing families of

There

is

of their customs from the earliest ages, and if it was, it is a strong proof of their being the people who

migrated to Arabia and Africa, and were mentioned " by Herodotus, as catching fish in nets extended along " whose habitations were the shoals upon the coast," formed of the bones of the whale, and to whom fish rather than bread has ever been the staff of

though

this

may

" Icthyophagi," the Malays.

it

The kaylongs

all

be

said

to

life."

be true of

But the

does not necessarily relate only to

are

made

of hurdles

composed of

THE KATLONG.

93

bamboo, some five feet long, fastened closely together with rattans, which are nearly as useful and These hurdles are attached strong as so much wire.

strips of

to stout stakes driven at intervals into the sand or

mud

of the shore.

The

swim over

fish

these hurdles

but as the tide recedes, their progress stopped by the water falling below the top

at high water,

seaward

is

of the bamboos, and they try to effect their escape by an opening left in the fence, but this only leads into

a square enclosure in which a net is kept lowered. Over this enclosure a small covered shed is constructed, in which the

men work who

raise

and lower the

net.

At times

by

these kaylongs, which are used in common both Malays and Chinese settlers, are contrived so

that pointed bamboos are arranged in the opening to the enclosure, so as to allow the entry of the fish, which on trying to escape are repelled by the points, just as they are in our

own

waters in the ordinary fish-pot or trap of wickerwork raised and lowered in the Thames weirs, to the puzzling of many a fat eel astir

when

the waters are up.

CHAPTER Insect pests

X.

The leaf insect Fireflies Strange beetles Fine field for the entomologist.

A

Tartar

ONE

of the great pests of tropical lands which are

well watered

is

undoubtedly that persevering

creature, the mosquito.

little

It has

puzzled every traveller, from time immemorial, how to account for the fact that,

no matter how much energy he throws into and at last, from

his blows, he rarely can strike one

;

being angrily aggressive, he assumes the passively defensive state, taking refuge behind mosquito-curtains,

and leaving the virulent

little

insects

to lay

siege to his fortalice.

In passing, a few words must be said respecting the insects of Perak and the mosquitoes may well ;

stand first, from the way in which they insist upon making their presence known. They abound in the country, some of them being of very large size ; but the most virulent is a small striped variety, banded

with black and white. Cicadas of the noisiest kind and grasshoppers are

INSECT PESTS.

plentiful

enough in the

95

plains, the latter being

much

by the Malay youths for feeding their larks and quails. They catch them very readily by means This is of a little instrument of open rattan-work.

sought for

formed something like a child's sea-side shovel, only larger, and is used with great dexterity by the boys,

who

are light

and active in the extreme.

abundant, and those unpleasant-looking creatures, the centipedes, some of Scorpions

are

pretty

which seem to possess pedal appendages enough to merit the term of thousand legs, while the ants are

some of them enormous.

One black kind

and-a-half to two inches in length

;

is

from one-

but these are not

There is the termes, seen in large numbers together. or white ant, and the biting red ant, called by the

Malays Jcrangga. This between the leaves of

little

creature

trees,

rolling

makes

its

nest

them up and

securing them with gluten, and is much dreaded, from the severity of its bite, which is as bad as a severe It is fortunately not nip with a pair of forceps. poisonous, but forms one of the principal supplies of that curious acid in use amongst photographers, and

known

as formic.

Spiders naturally abound, and,

judging from journeys through the country, the entoFlies are mologist might collect many new species. also abundant. In fact, in this unexplored region

open ground for lovers of every phase of natural history and the stag and rhinoceros beetles

there

is

;

would alone form a

collection.

Every marshy place

"SARONG" AND

96

is

wonderful for

its varieties

"KRIS."

of dragon-flies, flitting

about on their gauzy wings, and some of them are of very great beauty, while the hornets are of immense size,

the largest the writer has seen up the eastern

archipelago.

But

for brilliancy of colouring, the butterflies

moths bear

and

Their colours are lovely, and in the moist, sunny openings of the jungle, they flap along on wings painted with the most refulgent dyes.

off

the palm.

very difficult, from but the merest tyro may net an

The capture

their lofty flight

;

of

some

is

abundance of the beautiful moisture-loving specimens, not excepting the great Atlas moth, which is found in high perfection,

many

being nine and ten, and even

twelve, inches across their wings. Leaf insects have often been

described

;

but

probably the custom existing here in the Malay peninsula has not been noticed namely, that of

keeping them in

little cages,

as curious specimens of

natural history. They are found about an inch-and-ahalf long, and are singular for their exact resemblance to a

Beautiful as these leaf insects are, they bear no comparison to a remarkable species which leaf.

the writer has found haunting the trees of one kind It is less than two inches in length, of a lovely only. Its flight is the gray, liberally spotted with red. most wonderful quality of the insect, for it goes from

tree to tree after the fashion of a bird.

bring

it

to

Europe have

Attempts to

as yet failed, but, as far as

FIREFLIES. can be made out, lectors,

is

it

and peculiar to

is

97

an insect quite new to

col-

this part of the world.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful sights in Perak a mangrove swamp on a soft, still, dark night, when

the

fireflies

leaf,

are out in myriads, flashing

and darting

like brilliant sparks

from

Every here and there they

tree in showers of light.

and then seem disturbed, when the coruscations

settle,

of tiny stars are perfectly wonderful.

Every

to send out its light in pulses or

throbs,

flashes

from a signal lamp

;

and

so great

is

fly

seems

like the

the beauty

of this scene that the lover of natural history

deem

leaf to

from tree to

would

alone worth a journey to the east to see. There are plenty of destructive insects, one of the it

worst being the carpenter beetle, dustrious in

a building, accounts of

its if

habits that

it

which

will riddle the

is

so

in-

beams of

Numerous the Government

of .wood that finds favour.

its evil

doings are given,

bungaloh at Malacca having suffered very severely. Doubtless, however, remedies for these insect pests could be found.

We

were especially fortunate in our travels in Perak in not coming across a fly said to be peculiar to This insect is not unlike a cicada in the peninsula. form, but it has been furnished by nature with a long and sharp proboscis, with which it can inflict a wound

On one occasion the that gives the most acute pain. writer was passing through the jungle at the foot of Mount Ophir

in Malacca.

The party was progressing

AND in single

had

file,

and very slowly

;

"KRIS.

for the leader, a

Malay,

make use

of his parang, or heavy wood-knife which answers to the machete of the South American to

the tangled undergrowth and rattans. Suddenly the foremost man uttered a cry of pain, and darted aside, a movement followed by the to cut a

way through

others in succession

;

and before the Europeans of the

" stood in the position of ready," could ask the reason for this peculiar flank movement, three of party,

who

the Malays

who had been

were brought to left in the wound.

tobacco

that of the Malays being a

;

formed from burnt

it

these insects

who, no matter what the injury, apply a

sailors,

for

by

pierced

us, with the proboscis apparently The remedy resembles that of our

shells,

little

little

of the lime

and carried about with them

chewing with their betel-nut and leaf. Efficacious may have been, but, like the infallible nostrums

for toothache,

it

instantaneously. For students

evidently did not

of entomology there

objects asking the collector's

writer

is

cure

hand

unable to call attention to

;

the pain

are

endless

and though the

many

insects that

might be considered peculiar to the State of Perak, the extent of totally unexplored ground tracts apparently never yet trodden by the foot of

so great

man

is

that doubtless a very valuable entomological

collection

might be made.

CHAPTER XL Birds The Argus pheasant Gooey Fatal crowing Quail Peafowl The peacock of the Old Testament Artificial hatching Talking birds Pets Humming and sun birds Birds of prey~

not the land of the wondrous birds of paradise,, whose brilliant plumes rise from beneath their wings,

THIS

is

and curve down

like the waters of a

golden fountain

but Perak possesses an avi-fauna of very great beauty, and even a cursory survey of the country displays itsFor this is the home of the richness in this respect.

Argus pheasant, with

long extending tail and largely-penned wings, each quill of which, with its extremely broad web, is dotted with a row of eyes, glorious

similar to those

on the

tail

its

of the peacock.

This

pheasant is rarely shot, on account of its nocturnal habits even the practised hunter of the country only shooting perhaps one or two in a long course of years. ;

is, however, occasionally trapped ; but if taken alive,, soon pines and dies. The Malays call it " coo-ow," from its peculiar shrill cry. It is unmistakable when heard

It

in

the jungle

solitudes

by

night, the writer ofterk H 2

"SARONG" AND

100

"KRIS."

recognising it, as the birds called one to the other in the up-country when he was camping out. This cry is almost the exactly the same as that of the jacoons orang-utan, or wild hill-men of the country ; the reader being warned not to suppose that the huge ape of Borneo is here meant, orang-utan being Malay for wild

man.

It seems probable that the jacoons have the call from the bird while a remarkable adopted " "fact is that this crybears a wonderful coo-ay similarity to the "coo-ee" of the Australian savage. ;

The cry

when once heard

of the argus pheasant

is

never forgotten, from its impressiveness in the still There has always been great difficulty in night.

and this is probably bringing it to England alive due to the fact that its habits have not been properly studied, for it is essentially a night-bird, and if care ;

were not taken to afford

it

shelter, failure

would

probably result. There is another very handsome pheasant, namely, the peacock, or ocellated, and also one resembling our

own, but with a short tail, in the forest in which the jungle-cock abounds a beautifully-feathered bird, the

The pugnacity probable ancestor of our game-cock. of this latter causes his ruin ; for residents of shooting proclivities, or

even those who

like

an addition to

their table, take advantage of the bird's habits,

and

picket an ordinary Malay game-fowl in their boat when going up the streams. The tame bird's challenge

soon rings out, and

is

answered,

when jungle-cock

QUAIL AND PEAFOWL. after jungle-cock is

and

tempted out of the

101

safe solitudes,

a victim to the gun. Quails are pretty plentiful, and there falls

is

a variety

As to snipes, they plover and partridge. abound in the low grounds, and a pretty good shot is sure of excellent sport. During the Duke of Edinof the

he burgh's visit to the Straits Settlements

made

a

tremendous bag in Province Wellesley, this being a sport for which' no preparation in the way of beating

warm

or selecting

corners could be made, His Royal

Highness having to take his chance, as would any a fact which shows the abundance other sportsman of the birds.

Peafowl form a magnificent addition to the birds of Perak. The male is not the ordinary peacock of Ceylon and Southern India, but the variety known as the principal differences being that it smaller, that instead of rich blue, the neck

the Javanese

a

little

;

is

is

covered with green scale-like feathers, and that the but the train is equally crest is different in form ;

Altogether it is a magnificent large and beautiful. bird, and the flesh when eaten proves to be delicate in

flavour

and quite tender

;

for this there is the

authority of Mr. Wallace. This presence of the peacock in the peninsula, as already referred to, appears favourable to the theory that Solomon's vessels traded to the Eastern archi-

pelago

;

and when

it is

taken into consideration what

tremendous distances the praus of the present day

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

102

It may be argued journey, the surprise is lessened. that Solomon's ships must necessarily have been small

and

So are the present-day praus, some of which, however, are of seventy tons burden, and wholly made without a scrap of iron, pegs and rattans taking ill-made.

the place of

bolts,

while the

composed of a compass is unknown. sails

are

matting, and such a thing as There is, however, one great argument in favour of the

supposition that Ophir was the present-day Ophir of Malacca that argument is supplied by a consideration ;

*of

the language. Prior to Pliny, in the

first

century, history does

to help us to a conclusion

though the important statement that apes and peacocks formed very

little

;

part of the cargo of Solomon's ships, supports the theory that the journey was made rather to India or

Malaya than to the the difficulty

it

has been sought to translate the

Hebrew word "tukyim ;

tota

blance to the

"

or

"

tuchim

"

(peacock) as reand Crawfurd says that the Persian

presenting a parrot " " " " or toti

word

To get over

east coast of Africa,

(parrot) has a very near resem-

Hebrew word

"

tuchim

" ;

and he adds

that, as parrots can bear longer voyages than peacocks, it is more than probable that we have in this

the right interpretation of the word. Dr. Kitto, too, says "It is a question more of geographical and historical than of biblical interest to " " decide whether the thukyim (1 Kings x. 22) and :

""thukyim"

(2

Chronicles

ix.

21)

denote peacocks,

DOMESTIC FOWLS. strictly so called, or

some other

103

species of animal or

on the solution of the question in the

affir-

mative depends the real direction of Solomon's

fleet,

bird

i. e.

;

for

whether, after passing the Straits of

Bab-el-Mandeb,

proceeded along the east coast of Africa towards Sofala, or whether it turned eastward, ranging along

it

the Arabian and Persian shores to the peninsula of India,

and perhaps went onward

to Ceylon,

and pene-

trated to the great Australian, or even to the Spice Islands."

Dr. Kitto believes that the rendering of

"tukyim" peacocks is correct. There are, as known, only two species of true peafowl, namely, that common the one familiar in England, and that just described as existing in Perak. Now it is a singular fact that in the language of in India,

which

is

the Orang Benua, or wild

word "

men

of the peninsula, the

peacock, which in the modern Malay is " " chim marak and marrak," is in the aboriginal for

;

here we have the exact termination of the Hebrew " " tuchini in the language of the very people who must

have lived in the peninsula and near Mount Ophir in the days of Solomon, namely, the Orang Benua, or m'eii of the country.

This

name

for a bird

"

tchem

"

or

" chim "-is mentioned

in a report given only a short time since by Mr. Daly, who collected a number of common words from the wild people during a tour

through Perak.

The Malays

cultivate domestic fowls

pretty ex-

tensively; principally, however, on account of their love

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

104

for

Their champions

cock-fighting.

are

evidently

of the

tlie

hard, close-feathered, highprogenitors shouldered Malay cocks of our poultry-shows but ;

these latter have been so bred to points by dealers and fanciers that they are very different in appearance.

They have sula,

which

breed of fowl on the peninremarkable for the manner in which its

also a peculiar is

feathers turn out the wrong way. Varieties of this have been exhibited in England. Both ducks and fowls are plentiful in Perak,

but not to the extent they might be indifference of the people,

who

of industry as soosa, or trouble

;

owing

to the

look upon any branch ;

much

of which,

how-

due to the uncertain tenure of the land, and ever, the oppression of their chiefs, who take tithe to an is

The Chinese

alarming extent.

settlers,

though, take

advantage of the nature of the country, and breed

ducks extensively, and their plan is singularly suc" cessful. The " Heathen Chinee does not trust to maternal solicitude, for the eggs are placed in sand or husks of padi, and are then submitted to artificial heat ;

and the

difficulty here

of nature.

is

to assimilate this heat to that

When

hatched, the ducklings are fed with and boiled rice ; and being hardy prawns, little are in a few days able to look out things they bits of crab,

for their

own

supplies,

when they

are turned into

small enclosures containing pools of shallow water, and as they grow older are removed to more extensive pasture-grounds.

An

old

Chinaman generally

acts

TALKING BIRDS.

105

the part of mamma, and the way in which the little troops of ducklings know him and obey his call is very Hundreds may be seen in one enclosure, amusing.

and the Chinese

are often encountered followed

droves of the

little

by which are things, being

downy new feeding-grounds. Domestic pets are common amongst the Malays, who

taken probably to

by means of horseand springes snipes being one of their and also by imitating their call. favourite captures are very clever at catching birds

hair nooses

By

means doves and pigeons, some of them very

this

beautiful, are readily taken

the juice of the gutta or indiarubber tree being sometimes used as bird-lime, as These doves are kept in bamboo before intimated. cages.

There are two varieties of the minah in Perak.

This bird

human

;

is

said

voice of

into captivity. "

to

be the best imitator of the

any known, and hence it often enters The Malay boys are exceedingly clever

sumpitan," or blow-pipe, and with this they are too apt to destroy the best songster of the peninsula and they are also very apt the Straits nightingale

with the

;

at capturing the tiny little green

and blue red-beaked

a small species of paroquet which swarms in some of the forest trees. These, after capture, they love-bird

imprison in an ingeniously-made cage, formed of strips of bamboo, arranged in a circle and bent over to a point, tied

bamboo

and furnished with a hook

perch,

and two short

at the top

joints of

bamboo

containing rice and water are secured within

;

;

a

for

and the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

106

clever little construction, with a pair of prisoners, can

be readily bought for coins representing twopence of our money.

One

some of the

of their pets, which, like

becomes very tame and fetches large they

call

like a

"

prices, is

cloves,

a bird

It is of the size of a dove,

baru-baru."

but

greenish-brown thrush, and speaks with great

distinctness.

The

would find an ample field for his researches, the beauty of some of the birds being especially worthy of note, while their more soberornithologist

plumaged brethren are remarkable for their habits. On the rivers, wild ducks and teal are plentiful, while from the overhanging branches dart kingfishers of the most brilliant hues and of the largest size, such as

make our

pretty English specimen a quietly-painted dwarf in comparison. Several of these, however, are

not fishers correctly speaking, as they live on insects. The beautifully-crested hoopoe is common in the forest,

and so tame that

traveller,

while

its

it

will readily approach the

beauty will perhaps prevent "

its

"

to him, as in the tameness from being shocking case of Alexander Selkirk, according to the poet.

Every here and there magnificent toucans, with their apparently cumbrous but cellular bills and gorgeouslypainted gorgets, are to be seen hopping from twig to twig, while literally abounding, and making the jungle echo with their shrieks, the long fork-tailed collared These are very paroquets flutter amongst the trees.

HUMMING AND SUN beautiful birds,

and

brilliant

and with

BIRDS.

107

their delicate green feathers

coral-tinted

beaks,

form

conspicuous

objects in the jungle.

Those

brilliant little

gems the humming-birds

are

not absent in the open sunny glades, where flowers open their tempting petals ; while those almost equally beautiful objects of nature, peculiar to the Eastern archipelago,

the sun-birds, with their scaly plumage

gorgeous metallic hues, are as frequent in their On some of the search for the honey of the blossoms. of

forest trees the nests of

what are there

called tailor-

probably the sociable grosbeak are seen, delicately woven out of grass and cocoa-nut fibre, hanging birds

from the boughs and forming a very curious feature in While speaking of nests, the limestone the scenery. caves of the coasts must not be forgotten. These caves are the resort of the bird's-nest swallow, whose peculiar glutinous nursery

is

sought for in the most

dangerous places by the Malays, who obtain it by means of bamboo ladders. Their idea is that the gluten which hardens into the nest is obtained from. o the sea-foam and probably some kind of seaweed ;

does afford them the material, which by a natural process, similar to the production of beeswax, is first

formed and then built up into their course

well

known

that

these

It is of

nests.

nests are

regularly

harvested, and form an object of trade with the

Chinese, for their bird's-nest soup.

Apparently so

many

distorted

relatives

of

the

108

"SARONG" AND "KRI8."

toucans are

the

hornbills,

monstrous proportions of their are wonderfully

story,

in

which, bill

active

of the

spite

with its large upper

birds,

and use

their

apparently clumsy beak with great dexterity in seeking fruit. Two or three varieties, one being very large,

The writer has not seen

are found here.

but

so

is

it

thereof

is

their nesting,

remarkable that Mr. Wallace's account

well worthy of note.

seems that the nest

It

formed in some large hollow of a tree, and at the time of incubation the male bird plasters up the is

entrance hole with

attention to

creature,

pigeon

a is

;

mate, and afterwards

his

which

offspring

merely leaving an orifice hen bird to be fed and this

clay,

sufficiently large for the

is

to

her one

at first a great gelatinous-looking

shapeless featherless

lump, as big as a

scrupulously performed.

One very pretty

little

is

object

the

grass-bird,

which seems to stand on the top of a thin feathery stalk by a swamp, but which all the time is balancing itself

by means

The

buffalo-bird,

of the rapid motion

with

its

wattle

common, and hangs about the

of its wings. like a minah, is

large bovine quadrupeds

in search of food, as the starling does at

home

;

which

strongly called to mind by the constant presence of the familiar old chirping sparrow in his black cravat,

is also

whose note

is

for all the

world the same as

may

be

heard at early morn in a London square. There is the little Java sparrow too, with its drab-speckled feathers and tiny reddish* beak

;

while in nearly

all

PADI-BIRDS.

marshy ground, many

109

varieties are seen in flocks of

the so-called padi-bird, with here and there, in the water-holes and swamps, the little dusky moorhen, and

very fine herons watching for the small fish, with cranes and rails; while especially in Perak and Quedah there

found a wading-bird, said to be common in Egypt and Palestine perhaps the " porphyrion" of Kitto. It has a hard crimson shield upon its forehead and

is

flesh-coloured legs

;

the head, neck, and sides are of

turquoise blue, shading off into a dark but brilliant The natives tame it with ease ; and among indigo.

other places, the writer has frequently seen it stalking about the gardens of the Hon. Mr. Whampoa, one of the principal Chinese residents at Singapore. The padi-birds are netted by thousands and eaten

by the Chinese

as a delicacy; for, as at

home, the birds

flock together at certain seasons in search

One very pretty instance

of this

is

of food.

at the time

when

the waringhan tree, already mentioned for its beautiful clustering blossoms, is covered with red berries.

These form an attraction to thousands of tiny birds,

which at daybreak seem to keep the tree in a perpetual These twitter, as they busily flit from spray to spray. small birds of the jungle are not without their enemies,

supply of hawks to check These are for the most part very similar

for there is a pretty plentiful

their increase.

to the ordinary

sparrowhawk of England while in turn they have an enemy that attacks them bravely, in the shape of a bird of the crow family; with long ;

"SARONG" AND

110

"KRIS."

racket-shaped produced feathers in

handsome

bird, of

It is

a

an intense black.

Very commonly

home

its tail.

at

evening

a bird familiar

at

seen in the shape of the night-jar, which, some time motionless on a branch,

is

after sitting for

after the fashion of its kind, like a

lump

of feathers,

sweeps round the tree in an easily-performed circle and returns to its perch with one of the beautiful

moths or

beetles of the jungle.

Similar to this bird

in marking, with its brown-mottled feathers,

home by

its

the

a bird which again familiar aspect. By day the

ordinary owl of the peninsula recalls

is

;

hollow trees resound with the busy hammer of the woodpecker, which also seems to belong to Old

England instead of this tropic shore, so simple and quiet is its plumage and familiar its well-known sound.

The

eagles of the country have been alluded to,

but not the vultures, which are of a very familiar type. They are encountered on the river-banks in Perak, of with enormous claws, and are evidently On one occasion the writer birds of great power. came upon a group that had been attracted by the

very large

size,

body of a dead buffalo, which the stream had been washed

after being carried

ashore.

The

down

birds were

feasting on the carrion, while, from time to time, one

those singular animals the pangolins, or scaly ant-eaters, was making a run at them, the animal of

BIRDS OF PREY.

Ill

evidently resenting the intrusion of the vultures, who As for the interfered with his feast of carrion-flies. vultures, they took but little notice of the aggressor,

merely moving a bill

and claws

little

aside,

and then resuming with

their disgusting banquet.

CHAPTER

XII.

Malay buffaloes and their domestication The elephant Deer Wildboar The Malay bear Black leopard Tiger and trappingMonkeys Domestic animals.

THE

buffaloes

mentioned in the

last chapter

are a

heavy kind of ox, domesticated by the Malays. There are two varieties, called the white and black large

;

but the former

is

more of a pink

tint.

They

are used

owners both as draught cattle and as beasts by of burden. In the rice-fields it is a common thing to their

see

them yoked, and drawing the clumsy plough

to

prepare the soil, a rattan cord through their noses When being the general way of leading them. attached to one of the long, narrow, roughly-made country carts, they can draw very heavy loads ; but

yoked in pairs, on account of the narrowness of the roads and the width of 'the

in this task they are rarely

buffaloes' horns, the points of

which are more than

four feet from tip to tip. When used as a beast of burden, the buffalo's load

arranged as a pack, placed in a pair of rattan panniers on either side of the great animal's back. is

DOMESTIC BUFFALO.

113

the custom in the more unfrequented parts, where a track for a cart is seldom seen. The buffalo

This

is

has tremendous strength, and is very enduring, though exceedingly slow, and the animal is much petted and caressed by its Malay owner, great care being taken

though, like our domestic friend the pig, nothing delights a buffalo more than a good roll and wallow in one of the mud-pools by the padi-fields. to keep

it

clean

;

When

drawing burdens the buffaloes are often unyoked to bathe in the rivers and streams they pass, while an awning is stretched to shield them from the

and to protect them from those ; the pests mosquitoes, a fire is lit by night, of which the great beasts are sagacious enough to take full advantage, for they always go to leeward, so that the

power of the sun

smoke may blow

all

over their backs and

doubt the rolling in the mud-holes proceeding, so that the

mud may

is

sides.

No

an instinctive

cake over them, and

thus form an effectual armour against the flies. The great strength of the buffalo renders it a for-

midable adversary to the tiger, and its encounters with this beast when wild or in the forest paths have doubtless been the origin of one of the principal sports of the

Malay

the buffalo and tiger fight, of which an

account will be given in a succeeding chapter. Gentle in the extreme with their owners, and greatly attached to their young,

which

at times they will carry from

place to place on their back, buffaloes

seem

to have

the same dislike to anything white that our English

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

114

bulls are said to

have for that which

is

red

;

and

makes an encounter with them, when grazing

this

in a

herd at a distance from a

village, rather

thing for a

For at the sight of a white

European.

an unpleasant

face they lay back their horns, raise their muzzles,

and make ready

an attack with wonderful rapidity, the whole herd charging in a way that would startle a for

"With the Malays, on the consquare of infantry. trary, the word of command, or a pull at the cord from

a boy,

quite sufficient to ensure obedience, though instances have been known of a native being gored is

from maltreatment of some unusually ferocious beast. The natives seldom use the milk of the buffalo, it is

though its

way

which

doubtful whether

it

does not at times find

into the milk of the ordinary domestic

is

residents

supplied in the Settlements to the

cow

European

these cows, like draught bullocks, being im-

and

a fact worthy of note that the troop cattle, principally bulls from Quedah, used during the ported

;

it is

progress of the

little

army through Perak

in the dis-

turbances, suffered a great deal from foot-and-mouth disease, the

The

remedy used being turmeric and

salt.

flesh of the buffalo is very unpalatable

and

tough to a European, but the Malays have a great liking for it, and consider the flesh of the black to be

Upon the preferable to that of the pink variety. it is occasion of some special festival, customary to when

pretty well the whole of a village So valuable is this will take part in the proceedings.

kill

a buffalo,

A PIECE OF STRING.

115

a Malay that their code of laws contains and the forfeitures to be special references to it, or made for losing killing a borrowed buffalo, or for beast to

being the possessor of one that done injury to personal property. is

a serious crime.

are rare, though

is

vicious,

and has

Theft of a buffalo

Petty thefts amongst the Malays

it is

no uncommon thing

for the in-

of one village to make a raid upon the dwellers in another who are weaker, and carry off

habitants

a form of cattle-lifting which, with several other points to be afterwards mentioned, links them As for the singularly with the northern clans of old. their herds

lower-class Chinese that have settled in the states, they

are most expert thieves, and will steal cattle whenever

they have a chance. There is a story told of one gentleman of the pigtail who, while suffering imprisonment under the native Government, was condoled with

on account of the severe sentence for, according to his

own

string

It

his friends

inflicted

upon him,

account, merely picking

piece of string, which he thought useful.

by

up a

might prove to be

turned out, however, that the piece of

was the nose-cord of a

buffalo,

attached to the animal, with which

Ah

and that

it

was

Sin had walked

off bodily.

There are droves of these buffaloes wild in the

and

also a variety of the family more our own ox, but they are not often resembling encountered ; neither are the troops of wild elephants,

country,

i

2

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

116

which are in the more remote fastnesses of the jungle.

The supply

of these

huge

been obtained by the native

beasts, though, chiefs, is

that has

derived from the

A

full account of the capture is unnecessary, has been given so often in works of travel. Suffice it that the great quadruped is taken much after

forests.

as

it

the same fashion as in Ceylon and Siam, namely, by driving it into a strong enclosure of bamboos, and then stabling

it

with a steady old elephant, to which

attached

by stout ropes food is made very meagre

of rattan. for a

it

The supply

month, but kindness

is

of is

tried as well as coercion, the animal being petted and fed with stems of the plantain, sugar-cane, with other

succulent

and

Elephants are proverbially fond of bathing and syringing themselves with water from their trunks, so the wild animal is dainties,

cakes.

allowed to go down to the river after a few days, but of course strongly secured to his tame companion.

Then begins a

struggle for freedom, but it results in the tired beast giving in and going back quietly to his old bonds in the stable, where he is once more securely fastened.

kept up, with the addition of a man occasionally getting upon his back and walking upon him, till the elephant submits to the mind, and This process

is

his passive obedience that he is conquered he cannot be thoroughly trusted for perhaps two though years, during which time he is frequently troublesome,

owns by

;

and requires the society of the female to keep him in

PERAK ELEPHANTS.

THE ELEPHANT. After this an elephant

order.

any mahout often

men

to

manage.

is

117

considered safe for

These mahouts are very

of good position.

They

as in India,

sit,

upon the animal's neck, with its great flap-ears acting as a protection, and drive by means of a sharp iron rod provided with a hook an instrument that is sometimes used in the case of a restive elephant with terrible effect.

Every elephant has his own familiar name, and the mahout has its history quite by heart; and while fondling and talking to the animal, will frequently remind it of the various striking episodes in its life.

The howdahs,

as

shown

in the engraving, are very

from those of India, being really nothing more than panniers of rattan, over which sometimes a different

tilt

is

stretched on

canes.

beneath the howdah, elephant's back,

and

it

Eaw

hides

are

placed

from fretting the keep is then secured by bands of

to

it

which are formed into girths passing behind the and the animal's shoulders and before his hind legs

rattan,

;

howdah

is

further kept in position

by

a rope round

the chest, and one in the form of a crupper. basket is then pretty well filled with leaves,

which a cover

is

placed,

and the rider mounts

The over to his

though not so bad as camel-riding, has a tendency towards shaking the body all to pieces, and aches and pains in the

very uneasy position

;

for elephant-riding,

joints are frequent after the first trials.

animal

is

to blame, for

Not that the

he generally goes at about the

"SAEONG" AND "KRIS."

118

two miles an hour, and command snap off an interposing

rate of

word of

will at the

tree the thickness of

a man's leg as easily as if it were a twig. Elephants here are not the monstrous beasts found in

some parts of the world, those of ten

feet

high Their principal disease

being exceptionally large. seems to be a kind of leprosy, which shows the ears.

They and tin

itself in

are the chief beasts of burden of the country,

walk away comfortably with half a ton of but where the load is of a bulky nature, from four will

;

to six hundred weight

is

considered sufficient.

are naturally the property of the Sultan

and elephants

are looked

upon

and

They

his chiefs,

as part of the Sultan's,

being reckoned in his regal list. The well-known white, or as it should be called

regalia, fifty

flesh-coloured, elephant is very rare, but its

darker brethren, held in

much

is

not, like

by the petted and caressed and veneration

All elephants are Malays. considered of great value but their treatment ;

is

very

different to that received in the neighbouring country

of Siam, where those belonging to the king are objects

of the greatest dignity, each having its own following of royal attendants. In fact the white elephant, which

Dr. Finlayson looks upon as being an albino of its family, is believed by the Siamese, who speak of it asan animal " so noble, so docile, and so strong," to be

animated by the

illustrious soul that formerly occupied

the body of some prince

an idea due to the fact that

THE RHINOCEROS.

119

these people being Buddhists, believe in the doctrine of the transmigration of souls.

one Siamese prince despatched three elephants as presents to the grandsons of the then king of France, a nation with whom the Siamese It is related that

have long held intercourse. going he whispered to them

As

the

animals were

"

Go, depart cheerfully ; but you you will be so to three of the greatest princes of the world, whose service is as moderate as it is glorious." After this address the will be slaves, indeed

:

;

elephants were hoisted into the ship, and because they bowed themselves to go under the deck, the Siamese cried out with admiration of their sagacity.

A curious trait of the elephant is worthy of notice. "When not observed, the great animal will go to a cocoa-nut tree, and, to obtain the nuts and young blossoms, place his head against the trunk, and then commencing a swaying movement, throw the whole

weight of the body against the tree over and over again, till it comes down with a crash, leaving the coveted treasures at his

The rhinoceros

is

feet.

occasionally

varieties are believed to exist.

and

the approach of

at

man

seen,

They

and

two-

are very shy,

rush off through the to

their relatives in being very Africa, one kind of which charges directly he perceives man or horse, even a hut or a fire being an object upon which he will vent his fury. The natives tell of a

jungle

;

different

beast that they call the Jeooda-ayer, or water-horse,

by

"8A&ONG" AND "KRIS."

120

some supposed

hippopotamus but it is evidently either a rhinoceros or one of the larger tapirs, which are found in the marshy places, calmly browsing to be a

;

on the herbage by means of their prehensile upper waiting, like the rhinoceros, for the

when the gun

lip,

time in the future

of the sportsman shall disturb their

rest.

plenty of game for the hunter who does penetrate the jungles, splendid deer of very large size Some of these approach the elk in being common.

There

is

and among them are the sambre, the spotted-deer, hog-deer, and the chevrotin or palandok. magnitude,

Wild-boars are not at

all

uncommon

not the pro-

genitors of the pigs of the Settlements, for their presence is due to the Chinese the Malay, from his religion,

and

The boars are both large pork. one poor fellow a convict employed on

rejecting

fierce,

dying of the injuries he received from one His dog of these beasts up in Province Wellesley. was baying at something in the jungle, and, on enterthe road

ing the forest, he found that the animal was holding The latter set upon him at a wild-boar in check.

him

terribly, the beast

being afterwards These shot by the European overseer of the works. and white tusks are boars' and taking very large once, ripping

;

advantage of their peculiar curve, a Chinese goldsmith in Penang joins the root and point with a chain, letters the ivory,

decanter labels.

and forms of them very handsome That these boars have other enemies

THE MALAY BEAR. besides

man

121

has been shown in the attack of the boa-

constrictor.

only one representative of the bear, in the person of that peculiar little black animal familiar to It is a most visitors to the Zoological Gardens.

There

is

smooth-coated

little

fellow,

black,

with a patch of

white on the throat, and, from its cleverness in raising itself upon its hind legs, and curious actions, has a great resemblance to a short thick-set monkey. They are pretty common in Perak, but quite harmless, save to the

young cocoa-nut

plantations, amidst which they

create great havoc.

Otters are

common, though

these

the

;

represented trees, as well as those curious

Of

of course,

the polecat family is pretty well squirrels may be seen amongst the

English variety ;

not,

there

are

several

little

varieties,

being the most worthy of note.

commonly known

animals the bats. the fruit-bats

These, which are

as flying-foxes, visit the peninsula

during the fruit season in enormous flocks, coming from the direction of Sumatra, and settle and destroy the fruit to an enormous extent. They are of the size of a large rat, and their wings have a spread of from two to three feet, while in the larger variety,

which

from

equally destructive, the stretch of the wings tip to tip has been known to be over five feet. is

Specimens as large as this are at the present time in the museums. Java and Sumatra are the principal homes of these creatures, but they find their

"SARONG" AND

122

way

by some strange instinct to a abounds. They come with a slow

to Perak, as if led

place where fruit

steady

flight,

in a straight line,

and devour

indis-

criminately every kind of fruit that comes in their They are however easily shot, and their deway. struction is a boon to the place.

For Perak

is

a land where

it is

necessary to com-

gun with research and travel, since at any time the journey may be interrupted by some

bine the use of the

fierce beast of

the feline kind, as there

is

the tiger-cat

and the black leopard

a magnificent beast, whose coat is jetty in one light, but displays the peculiar Taken altogether, it is in its wild spots in another. state

one of the most beautiful creatures

of

the

jungle.

An

amusing incident occurred at the time of the Duke of Edinburgh's visit to the peninsula, with a black leopard, which had been captured and was kept in a cage, roaming slowly up and down, or crouching, with that far-off look, which seems to see the native wilds through the impertinent gazers who disturb the medical officer present privacy of the noble beast. had been talking of the power of the human eye over

A

the untamed animal, and went up to the cage to prove it by fixing the dilating eye of the savage beast with his own.

The leopard bore the with gathering anger, and warning,

made one

stare for

some

little

time

then, without the slightest fierce bound at the gentleman

THE

TIGER.

123

There was a growl, a dash, with the magnetic eyes. an ejaculation, and the officer staggered back, with his cap torn off, and his cheek laid open by the animal's claws, the

peak of the cap having saved the beast-

quelling eyes.

But

the animal

par

excellence of Perak

and other

parts of the peninsula is undoubtedly the Malay tiger, fine specimens of which are in the gardens of the Zoological Society, as are also others of the black leopard, which were sent direct from the Malay peninsula, and presented to the society by Sir Harry St. George Ord, late governor of the Straits Settle-

The Malay tiger is rather smaller than that Bengal, and displays more white in its under

ments. of

parts ; in fact, it thoroughly answers, save in size, to that graphically-described beast the moollah of Captain Lawson's New Guinea a book of travels of

which the

have expressed strong doubts, as its wonders do somewhat trench on the narratives of our critics

older navigators of the world.

The Malay

tiger is a fierce

and

terrible beast,

and

exaggerated stories are told of its appetite in the island of Singapore, where those that frequent the jungle are said to have eaten a man per diem all the year round. There has been terrible loss of life in the island,

but this

is

very far beyond the mark.

There

no doubt many in Perak, and their lairs are frequently seen but from the country being so thinly are

;

populated, few people are

killed.

It

is,

however, one of

"SARONG" AND

124

"KRIS."

the misfortunes of a place, that the tiger takes to haunting new settlements, lying in wait for or stalking the

unfortunate coolies stooping and picking the gambier leaves, upon whom it springs, after waiting hours for

In almost every case the first blow, which is almost always on the back of the neck, seems to be fatal, the power of the paw being

its

opportunity.

enormous.

There

is

good work here in Perak, un-

doubtedly, for the sportsman's rifle tiger in the dense forests

the

beast

that

is

but to seek the

;

would be almost

being

tracked

in

suicidal,

the

dusky

twilight of the jungle being probably watching his would-be destroyer unseen. One plan frequently

adopted

is

to place

some animal

and wait

for a bait,

and then

night for the tiger's coming a plan that rarely succeeds, and consequently the governmental fifty-dollars reward is not very often earned. Fortunately, the increase of this to

sit

beast his

in a tree

is

own

all

kept down by the love of the male tiger for He devours them whenoffspring as food.

ever he has an opportunity, for he is wide in his choice of dainties, and will put up with buffalo when

he cannot obtain man, crushing in the thick skull of this animal with one blow if he can take it unawares,

and avoid impalement upon

The Malays make shaped holes of

knowing

its

pitfalls for

the tiger, funnel-

fifteen feet deep, right in its track,

full well that it will

has gone.

formidable horns.

If this

return

by the way

it

were merely covered with sticks

TIGER-TRAPPING. and

leaves, the tiger

go another way

;

would be

therefore the

125

suspicious, try

Malay

cuts

down

it,

and

a tree,

by which his hides the and then opening with enemy will approach, The fall of a tree in the forest is leaves and boughs. so that

so

common

excited.

across that side of the hole

it falls

A

a thing that the tiger's suspicion is not voild tout. tree has fallen across its path

It plants its fore-paws legs,

and leaps

on the trunk, draws up

down

lightly

covering into the pitfall,

its

hind-

crash through the frail

where

it is

approached with

sublime respect, the Malays hardly daring to go near enough to give the coup de grace to the dreaded beast.

Another way, as the cookery-books say over a fresh recipe to dress the joint previously dealt with

:

The Malays, on

finding the track of a tiger, very ingea heavy balk of timber across the path

niously hang from the projecting bough of a tree. The string which suspends the beam is attached to a cleverlymade trigger, and the trigger again to a noose, which

The result is arranged right in the animal's track. as may be anticipated if the tiger's mind be occupied is

:

with how to provide for the next repast, an unguarded foot is placed in the noose, the string is drawn tight, the trigger is touched, the beam falls, and the tiger lies paralysed, with a broken back, awaiting his

destroyers' spears.

The Malays are equally clever in capturing the monkey, by means of a noose through which the active little thing puts its hand,

and draws the string

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

126

In

the noose

a favourite plan with the inhabitants of the peninsula and the isles adjacent. tight.

fact,

is

Mr. Wallace mentions how cleverly the natives of Waigiou, near New Guinea, noose the birds of paradise

and

made

allusion has already been

to the way " in which the argus pheasant is taken, and springes," " not " to catch woodcocks but snipe, are made. ;

Of those curious are

many

kinds

;

little

creatures

monkeys there

but, as far as the writer can

tell,

no

mias or orang-utan of Borneo, and the wa-wa of Java, a tailless animal something like the agile gibbon. The most rare is one of a milkapes, such as the

white colour.

Only two specimens have come under

the writer's notice during a long residence in these parts ; and it may after all be, as Dr. Finlayson says of the white elephant of Siam, only an albino. It is a small monkey, only about eighteen inches high, and

very peculiar.

One

large short-tailed

monkey is a great favourite To its master it is very

with the people of Perak.

tame and greatly attached, acting as his protector in a journey through the woods, from campong to campong, and being ready to attack any aggressor, even It is a large stronglyas a dog would in England.

an ordinary diningtable, and possesses large canine teeth, with which it will seize its enemy by the back of the neck, and hold built animal, standing as high as

on so tightly that

it is

hard to shake

The Malay being too

it off.

sedate, dignified,

and often

MONKEYS.

127

too idle to climb a tree himself, trains this to

pick

monkey

The writer has

cocoa-nuts for him.

fre-

quently seen one with a string attached to it run up a tree with the greatest activity and seize a nut.

A pull

of the string shows the

monkey

that this

is

the wrong fruit ; and by constant guidance with the string, the little parody of humanity readily distinguishes the particular object it is to obtain, and at once seizing it with its hands, begins to screw it

round and round, till the footstalk gives way, and the heavy nut with its thick husk of fibre falls with a

thud to the ground. This anecdote savours so of that

a

may

it

fact,

be well to repeat in

and that the

practice

is

"

the travellers' tale,"

all sincerity

that

it is

common.

Several of the smaller kinds are easily

tamed when

captured by the Malays, though it must be said that some of the larger species are very vicious, one that

was given keep.

to an English sailor proving too wild to

It is

amusing to

see

them

in

the jungle,

apparently watching the intruders, and peering round from the far side of branches. Troops of them may

be seen on the sands at the mouths of the rivers when

going up, their object being to search for the shell-fish which abound, and which seem to be a favourite delicacy to the simian palate.

The

common

loris, :

one of their near relatives,

but to be

brief,

extensive one, and embraces

is

pretty the fauna of Perak is an

many

animals that have

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

128

been passed unnoticed, among others the musang and the porcupine, which can be often found in a suitable habitat.

Of the more domestic animals, that most creatures the horse

is

useful of

not found in Perak, neither has

been naturalised anywhere else in the peninsula, though found in Burmah, Pegu, and Siam, as well as

it

in Sumatra, Java,

Borneo, and several other of the

islands of the Archipelago.

One variety imported

really a spirited pony, but probably

is

from there being

no extensive plains suitable for their increase, even this diminutive form of the horse has found no dwelling-place in the interior. The goat is domesticated

by the Malays, as it is Mahomet having

everywhere by people of their faith,

attached a special blessing to the possession of this animal. The attempts made at Malacca and Singapore to introduce sheep resulted in failure.

They could

only be kept by placing them at night upon a plank flooring raised above the earth, and by feeding them

Neither the pasture at Malacca with imported hay. nor in the island seemed to suit them. But there is the possibility that the pasture of Perak might prove better, and attempts should be made to acclimatise the or perhaps that of the Chinese might more hardy, for as the country becomes more prove opened out and cultivated, there is no reason why

Indian breed

;

The, sheep should not thrive as well as the goat. advantage to settlers would be no trifle, as will be seen

WILD-CATS.

when

129

stated that good mutton, at Singapore, costs about half-a-crown a pound. it

is

Kabbits have been essayed, but they soon fell a prey to the musangs or wild-cats, and this will pro-

bably be for some time their fate, these fierce little animals catching them quite close up to the houses; in the suburbs of Singapore rabbits and have to be carefully secured, or their indepigeons

and even

fatigable

enemy

without mercy.

will find

them out and destroy them

CHAPTEE The people

of

Perak

Cannibalism

Eawa and Mandeling

Korinchi

Wild

tribes

Jacoon

or

Sakai

Diseases.

Samangs

THE

Bugis

The Malay

XIII.

inhabitants of Perak are of several races.

bulk of the population, which scattered for so fine

show even a Malays

;

Korinchi

is

excessively small

The and

one which cannot

a country

any great size consists of the Eawa, Mandeling, and people of Sumatra the Bugis and lastly, village of

the Batta Barak,

;

the wild tribes of the interior.

the few European

settlers,

;

There are of course

and a

certain

number

of

Chinese, whose skilled labour in mining, agriculture, and artifice is a valuable acquisition to the country. The Bugis are evidently a distinct race from the

Malays, and come originally from the southern part of the island of Celebes. They compare most favourably with the Malays proper, being intelligent, courageous,

and though very similar to them in The appearance, they speak a different language. fear and them above all the other races Malays respect of the Archipelago and among them are to be found

and enterprising

;

;

THE BUGIS.

131

the principal native traders and merchants ; but their influence has greatly dwindled since the time when

they had the principal amount of the trade in their hands.

The Bugis at one time made a strong movement westward, and overran Quedah and several other but at the present date portions of the peninsula there are but few of them actually established in the ;

country, their habits being wandering and unsettled, as they seem to have been of old. When the conversion of the different races to Islamism took place, these people were the last to go over to Mahomet, and

probably are held followers.

now amongst

The character given

the most strict of his to the Bugis

is

not

he has been termed a beggar, treacherous, given to stealing, braver than a Malay, but not possessing the other's good points, being one always of the

who

will lay

best,

his

for

plans

to

obtain

revenge on the

offending party. The Bugis race has kept itself very distinct from the people amongst whom it dwells, but occasionally

One of the most important inter-marriages take place. of late has been that of the well-known Bugis chief of Perak, Nakoda Trong, who led to the hymeneal altar one of the Perak ladies of distinction, Inche Maida, Their portraits are given in the accompanying engraving, with the female attendants. This princess has her home at the station high up the or Princess Maida.

Perak river at Qualla Kungsa

;

and she won the good-

"SAEONG" AND "KR18."

132

will of

many of the Europeans engaged

in quelling the

singular hospitality, and also by the ready aid she has always given to the British disturbances,

by her

the country has been under our protection. Inche Maida's lord and protector was however found somewhat wanting at the time of the disturbances, his officers since

Bugis nature and unsettled habits coming uppermost, with the result that he found an imperative call for absenting himself on business, leaving his lady to the wars, while he sought for more peaceful regions and the protection of his noble self away from Perak.

Among

the

settlers

named, the Korinchi

are

immigrants from the interior of the island of Sumatra. They are Malays in manners and language but giving ;

themselves the credit of being a purer race of Mahomedans, they hold aloof from the ordinary Malay, and dress always in white garments. Greatly resembling the Perak Malays, they are more industrious, with the natural result that they live, in better style, and

surround themselves with more comforts than those

amongst

whom

they dwell.

They write the Malay

language in a peculiar character of their own, one which Mr. Crawfurd is of opinion was the original

and generally used before the adoption of the Arabic, which is now in character

common

of the

Malay

people,

use.

These Korinchi

people

are peaceable,

found to be quite willing to

making

roads

and

felling

assist

jungle;

and were

the British in but,

with

the

CANNIBALISM. customary dignity of the Malay being

employed

133

race,

objected to

as coolies in carrying weights, or,

being treated as beasts of burden, their idea of the creature man being rather higher than amongst the busy nations of the as

they expressed

it,

West.

The Kawa and Mandeling people

are also

immi-

grants from Sumatra, not far from the particular district of the Batta Barak tribe, who inhabit a portion of

the eastern coast of the island in the same latitude as the state of Salangore, across to which state of the

peninsula

many

of

own country they progressive

advance of cut for

also migrated.

In their

are principally fishermen-; but the

instinct

new

pastures

them have

which has sent them to seek

renders

civilisation,

them more amenable and ready to clear the

to

the

jungle,

down

trees, plant, and generally prepare the land a better state of things. The Mandeling people

are said to be a branch of the Batta of the interior

who have enjoyed being eaters of human

of Sumatra, a tribe

reputation of

the unenviable flesh,

and the

and warlike people of the land. This cannibalistic charge was repeated many years later by Mr. Anderson, viz. in 1823, and though denied by many, was subsequently distinctly proved. Whether the custom still exists the writer is unable to most

say,

fierce

but

it is

still

mentioned

;

discontinuance of the practice

and

if

at an end, the

of very recent date. Sir Stamford Eaffles's remarks, in which he quotes is

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

134

He

Dr. Leyden's opinion, are worth repeating. in

1823

says,

:

The Batta language, which I regard as the most ancient language of Sumatra, is used by the Batta tribes, who chiefly occupy the centre of that island. The singularity of their manner, and parcustom of anthropophagy, practised by a nation in other respects more civilised than the Malays by whom they are surrounded, has attracted the attention of Europeans from the time ticularly the horrid

of the earliest voyagers to our own times, but tory account has ever been given of them as

best description of

History of Sumatra ficial,

and

them ;

is

certainly given

some

and that

of prisoners of

The

by Marsden,

in his

is

received from individuals of the nation.

cannibalism to two cases

satisfac-

nation.

a

very imperfect and superrespects with the information I

but even that

at variance in

no very

that of persons

Marsden confines their condemned for crimes,

war; but they themselves declare that

they frequently eat their own relations, when aged and infirm; and that not so much to gratify their appetite, as to perform a religious ceremony. Thus, when a man becomes infirm and weary of the world, he is said to invite his own children to eat him, in the

season Avhen salt and limes are cheapest. He then ascends a tree, round which his friends and offspring assemble, and, as they shake " The the tree, join in a funeral dirge, the import of which is season is come, the fruit is ripe, and it must descend." The victim descends, and those that are nearest and dearest to him deprive him of life, and devour his remains in a solemn banquet. This account is certainly more likely to excite incredulity than the account of Marsden ; but it is the account of some of the Battas :

themselves, as well as that of the Malays in their vicinity.

The Malays

of Perak, like those of Malacca, are

doubtless descendants of that parent stock which in bygone times migrated from the district of Menang

Kabau, in the island of Sumatra Malays race.

this is looked

The whole

upon

;

and by

all

good

as the original seat of their

of the traditions of the people tend to

THE MALAY.

135

and even at the present day a stranger coming among them from Menang Kabau brings with him, so to speak, a pass which show that

ensures

this

was

him the

their origin ;

respect

and veneration of

all

Malays.

Physically, they have broad flat features, the nose wide, and dilated at the nostrils cheek-bones high,, ;

and eyes placed

as in the European,

slightly oblique, as

to classify

and

in

no case even

some writers have said in trying

them with the Mongolian

or Tartar races.

a Malay were dressed in Chinese costume, he could not be distin-

In

fact,

it

has been asserted that

if

guished from a Chinaman. This is a grave error, for the Malay of the peninsula is never found with the

The eyes peculiar to the Mongolian race. Malay's forehead is slightly prominent ; the hair of

oblique

the head lank,

and universally black

coarse,

very slight trace of beard

;

the

mouth

;

large,

but with

upper lip slightly lifted; complexion of a dark yellowish brown. Their arms are long, chests broad,

the

and

their lower limbs strong

and muscular

as a rule, below the middle height, but,

sturdy formidable-looking fellows. Amongst some of the chiefs there

they are, on the whole,

is

;

an evident

and this was particularly Laksamana of Perak, who was perhaps the most clever and intriguing of the native chiefs of Perak during and preceding the late

trace

of

Arab descent

;

noticeable in the

emeute, not even excepting the Muntri, intriguing ways frequently descended

who to

in his

the

low

"SARONG" AND

136

"KRIS."

cunning of the Kling, or native of Southern India, whose blood to some extent was said to course in his veins.

The Malay women compare very unfavourably with their lords in a European's eyes, for they seem, with very rare exceptions, coarse, plain, and wanting in the charms nature generally bestows on the softer

"When quite young, however, they occasionally

sex.

possess

good

looks, as

may

be seen by the illustration

showing Inche Maida's attendants, which gives a idea of the better-class

Marriages are

young

made

at a

girls

among

fair

the Malays.

very early age, in conse-

quence of the rapid approach of maturity, though extreme longevity is not uncommon and when, as ;

customary amongst the poor, polygamy is not practised, the average number of a man's children is is

from three to

known. the

four, large families

Polygamy, however,

Mahomedan

by more wealthy

faith,

is

being rarely, if ever, which is authorised

largely practised

and

by the

has brought about its customary train of evils in Perak, in the shape of slavery in some of its worst forms, and a of

its

followers

;

it

gradual depopulation of a country already far too thinly inhabited.

The wild

tribes of the interior of

Perak form a

interesting subject for consideration.

very be roughly divided into two

and the Oriental Negroes;

Samangs of the Malays.

classes "

:

They may

the Aborigines

Orang Benua" and The words Orang Benua

or the

WILD TRIBES. mean "men

literally

137

of the country;"

and these people

have been variously styled Jacoons, Basisi, or Sakai, with other terms from the localities or rivers upon

which they are found. Sakai is the name generally given to them by the Perak Malay, though sometimes they may be called Orang Laut sea-gipsies, or men of the sea and Orang Bukit men of the hill, or hill;

tribes.

There can be no doubt that these people are the aboriginal Malays, such as the present ruling race

were before their partial civilisation and conversion to Islam. For though they have a peculiar dialect and idiom of their own, their language is essentially of Malay origin. In appearance they greatly resemble the Malays but are much shorter in stature ;

;

and, like

most rude nations, very

little

addicted to

by the adoption of tight and inconvenient clothing. They trade a little with the superior race and by means of barter obtain injuring their figures

;

sometimes the sarong, or national

kilt of these people?

and the sapu tangang, or kerchief, for the head, which they wear in the same way, excepting that the women

bosom uncovered

save when, imitating the more civilised of their sex, they throw a small cloth

leave the

over then: shoulders.

The

native dagger, and parang, or knife, they obtain from the villages ; but for their weapon of " offence they use the surnpitan," or blow-pipe, whose tiny darts they send through the tube to a long kris, or

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

138

and with considerable

distance, with great precision

By means

force.

of these tiny arrows they kill birds

and other animals, which, with wild form the staple of their food supply.

fruit

and

roots,

on the contrary, according to Mr. Marsden, these people do not hold any intimate communication with their more civilised neighbours, who In Sumatra,

when anxious

to obtain honey, wax, or other products

of the forest from them, place clothes

and tobacco in

some part of the jungle they are known to visit, and after a certain time, on going they find their offering removed, and the products of the forest of greater value laid in the place.

The sumpitan

formed out of a piece of bamboo and the arrows are in some cases poisoned at the tips, is

;

the other end being furnished with a tuft of cotton or similar growth, which tightly fits the hollow of the cane, so that a strong puff effect

upon the

dart.

from the lungs has more

When

at rest these people will

foot of the other leg, resting with ,the leg against their knee, and the hand grasping the blow-

stand on one

pipe for a support, just as the Australian blacks rest upon their spear. Some of these sumpitans are very

neatly

made and ornamented, while the arrows used

are both plain

and barbed.

The engraving, taken from a photograph

of a group

of these people, gives a good idea of their peculiar In this some two or three are seen characteristics.

with the " limbing," or spear.

This

is

not

common

m

THE SAKAIS.

139

with them, but when possessed has been obtained from The photograph was one taken by the the Malays. late Besident,

Mr.

J.

W. W.

who

Birch,

to

his

many

other qualifications added those of being an excellent naturalist

and a clever photographer.

Efforts are being

made

to civilise these people,

dating from some years ago, when a French missionary of the name of Borrie went into the jungle of Malacca, and seeking out the Jacoons, as they are there

found them migrating from spot to spot, as

called,

food was plentiful or scarce. Selecting a suitable place he made signs to them, and in their presence planted seeds and tapioca slips, encouraging them to watch what he was doing. Some little time after,

on

their return to the

same

spot,

he pointed out to

them the rooting and growing of the seeds and slips and in this -way, by the exercise of great patience,

;

combined with kindness, he induced them to begin tilling the

ground

The writer

for themselves.

visited the

home

of this pioneer of

civilisation and it was impossible to avoid lending admiration to the devotion of M. Borrie to his work. ;

From

his labour of love he

had apparently lost all The French mission has

thought of the outer world. also already extended its work to Perak, where it has erected a little church on the very confines of the jungle,

and

is

eagerly pursuing

its

self-inflicted task

amongst the half-civilised Malays of the state. It was whilst visiting the lonely home of the

"8IRONQ" AND "KRIS:

140

French missionaries, that the writer was a witness to the wonderful skill of the Jacoons with the sumpitan, their

aim being almost unerring, and the weapon

deadly in

The

its effects.

wild people

class of

known by

the Malays as Europeans Oriental or

Samangs, have been called by Asiatic Negroes

Negro Malayan people

compared with

who

those

Islands, Negritoes, Aetas,

inhabit

the

and,

have given

when

Philippine

Some

or Little Negroes.

recent geographers taking the literally "curly,"

;

Malayan word Papua,

this

name

to

New

Guinea,

and dubbed the inhabitants of this great island with those of Fiji and others in the Pacific, Papuans, with whom they class the Samangs of Perak and other portions of the

The

writer's

Malay

peninsula.

knowledge of the so-called Papuans

is

not of that thoroughly personal description to enable him to speak with decision on the subject, and he

can only judge from the accounts given by others but the Samangs, who range from the Nicobar group,

;

the

Malay peninsula though, singularly cannot not in the island of Sumatra found enough, be classed with the race of small squat negroes of the

through

Andamans and

Philippines, as described

and other writers. For these Samangs

differ

by Crawfurd

widely from the

little

the Sakai, or Jacoons, of Perak being of aborigines about the same size as the Malay are in complexion ;

of a dark brown, more than black, with

flat nose,

thick

THE 8AHANG8. lips,

large mouth,

141

and hair not lank and black

like the

Malay, nor woolly like the Ethiopian negro, but long

and in

tufts.

Baron Maclay, the Eussian

traveller,

with

whom

is personally acquainted, has been recently of the habits a careful and features of study making these people, and will doubtless soon issue an opinion

the writer

but according to the information now possessed, it seems correct to place the Samang with the class called by Dr. Pickering

worthy of

all

respect

;

Malayised negroes, and the same which will be subsequently referred to in the chapter on the ancient history of the people, as being found on the island of

Madagascar. It seems only reasonable to suppose that in the constant intercourse which took place in early times between the Arabs and maritime Malays, and between these

latter

and

the

people

on

the

island

of

Madagascar, people of this class were conveyed by the Malays to their own country; and that, not being a

maritime people, and strangers to the land, they retreated towards the interior, even as the new Malay colonists from Sumatra drove back also with them the aboriginal inhabitants, the

Orang Benua, or Sakai, dwellers on the coast.

who were originally To return to the Malays

:

it

may

not be

say a few words respecting their Like most people who live a simple natural they are comparatively free from the ailments of

uninteresting to diseases. life,

of Perak

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

142

civilisation

;

but disease

is

by no means

scourge of Eastern lands, leprosy,

is

That

rare.

not often seen

;

but occasionally a Malay may be encountered whose hands and feet are covered with white spots, though

That

these are said not to be contagious.

swelling of the leg

times

to be seen

known and

;

as elephantiasis,

in cases

terrible

is

some-

of this kind

the

Malays seem to look upon the afflicted person with a kind of awe. In fact, in the interior, the people looked upon an individual thus able,

and blindly followed

his

afflicted as invulner-

advice

in

appertaining to war. The ordinary blood diseases and fevers are

matters

known

;

and among them the small-pox, from which they suffer a good deal, but look upon the European custom of vaccination as opposed to a sincere religious faith being in fact an endeavour to frustrate the ends of Pro-

vidence in sending disease.

By judicious

explanations

though, and management on the part of the medical officers of the Government, the prejudice has to a great extent been overcome.

Dysentery, one of the complaints that affect Europeans, is not general ; but the inhabitants suffer a great deal from entozoa, for which nature seems to have prepared a specific in the male pomegranate tree.

Eheumatism, in the joints till

too, is " ;

common, and

their

remedy

efficacious

;

by them "wind and

for it being beating

the pain has gone.

kneading remedies are very

called

Many

of these simple

and the knowledge pos-

DISEASES.

143

by the natives of plants and roots is not unworthy of respect. Pressed leaves are applied to their cutaneous eruptions and though dirty in their homes, sessed

;

the Malays have a good idea of the sanitary value of while encleanliness, the bath being daily used of mats and bamboo are contrived at the closures ;

ends of their boats for bathing-places as shown in one of the engravings, the sign that such a place is temporarily occupied being given by hanging the sarong, or skirt, over the outside.

Far as these people are removed from civilisation, they are fully awake to the effects of bhang, an intoxito destroy which cating liquor prepared from hemp ;

they chew betel-nut, which is said to counteract the effects of an overdose, even as amongst Europeans chlorodyne

is

said to

remove the intoxication pro-

duced by an over-indulgence in stimulants. The Malays being an intensely nervous race this may be so

;

in fact, so highly strung are they, that in

some

instances they have a singularly wild

way

of

mimicking

any movement made

if it is

continued

it

seems to have the

to them, effect of

and

working them up into a

complete state of frenzy. To these peculiarities further allusion will be made when treating of the strange madness known as amok, or, as it has been commonly called,

"running a muck."

CHAPTEE Dress

XIV.

The sarong Dress of the Bugis Dress of the Malay European costumes Ornaments Coquettish toilets.

PROBABLY

in

no country is the custom of keeping more thoroughly adhered to

to the national costume

than amongst the Malays. introduced

many

Civilisation has naturally

articles of clothing

;

but no matter

how many

of these are adopted, the Malay, from the sultan of the peninsula down to the poorest greatest inhabitant of a squalid campong on the banks of a

stream, always wears the sarong, which literally a case or envelope.

means

an oblong cloth, from two to four feet in The ends are width, and some two yards long. sewn together, and there, in its simplest form, is a This

is

skirt or kilt,

is

worn by men and women

alike

men

reaching to just below the knees, on the The men tighten it round the to the ankles.

on the

women

which

waist by two or three ingenious twists, thus forming with it a skirt and belt at one and the same time, in

which they carry the

kris,

or native dagger, tighten-

ing or loosening the band at pleasure.

The women

THE SAEONG. wear one that

is

145

wider, and secure

it

close

up under

covers the breasts, throwing another over their heads as a veil and to cover the the armpits so that

it

and when abroad and they meet men, they extend this upper sarong by holding their hands at a shoulders

;

distance on either side of the head, so as to form with

the garment a long narrow slit, covering the face and forehead in such a way that the eyes alone are visible to the stranger's gaze.

This ingenious and very simple form of yashmak, as it would be called amongst the followers of the

Prophet in Turkey, is of course used in accordance with Mussulman traditions.

The sarong greatly resembles the tartan

own

Highlanders, inasmuch as

it is

of our

invariably a check,

very tastefully woven by They are manufactured at many places

and generally of gay native hands.

colours,

and in Java, Sumatra, and Borneo. Those from Tringanu and Johore are held in great in the peninsula,

esteem,

while

the

fetch high prices.

cotton sarongs from the Celebes The best are of silk from China,

brought over, thougk the Malays are very ingenious in the use of dyes ; but there is an

dyed before

intermediate

it is

quality, of silk

and cotton combined

;

while the sarong of the lower classes is of simple It is singular that a check should be adopted cotton.

by these people

for

their national robe, one

really answers to the Scotch plaid scarf,

and

is

which often

"SAEONG" AND "KRIS."

146

worn

in precisely the

same way,

as in

many

respects

they resemble our Highlanders in their clannish or tribal habits,

and thoroughly

chieftain -like

ways of

dealing with their fellows.

The extremely simple garb of the Sakai or aborigines, and the Samangs or negro Malays has been already alluded to, as likewise has that of the Sumatra tribes, who adhere to white. The particular dress

of the

Bugis

Nakoda Trong,

may

be gathered from that of

in the engraving.

The

trousers are

of calico, frequently ornamented with open work at the base, and over this is worn the sarong, kilt fashion. This, with the Bugis,

invariably of cotton, and after day, is opened out and becomes

is

protecting the loins by a sheet at night. The jacket, worn loose to the figure, is called a baju ; it is made with long sleeves, and generally of white but sometimes of coloured cotton :

in the latter case the pattern is the check to which the Malay is so partial. The headdress is a handkerchief nattily tied on,

and

this kerchief is

the Bugis and Malay of Perak is mostly of a larger size.

;

common

but with the former

to it

The Malay chieftain, while adhering to the sarong which is a garment most suitable to the climate, very convenient, and giving great freedom to the limbs is very fond of adopting European costumes. Sultan

Abdullah ordered a magnificent uniform from England, .something between that of a field-marshal and a hussar colonel's,

of

which,

with

its

little

engineer

MALAY COSTUME.

147

busby, lie was very proud though, as will be seen from the group of which he forms the centre, it is ;

doubtful whether he looked so well as the chiefs of his court,

who

stood on either side

photographed by

The general Malay costume described as worn by the Bugis. vest,

having a

when they were

the writer.

collar to

very similar to that It consists of an inner

is

button tight round the neck,

and the baju or jacket, often of light-coloured dimity, for undress ; trousers worn loose and long, or what are

now often preferred, a made of cotton or silk.

loose pair of short drawers,

In the case of a

chief,

these

trousers or drawers are of richly-patterned yellow silk,

and often very handsome. the way,

which, by scarf by both sexes,

is

Next comes the

sarong,

sometimes made to do duty as a

who

are as tasty in their

manipu-

lation of this robe as a Spanish lady in Seville. As an example of the tribal nature of the costume,

the inhabitants of

terned sarongs

;

many

places

and though

wear distinctive-pat-

this

is

not evident to

Europeans unacquainted with the peculiarities of the .people, a Malay will readily tell from what part a stranger comes

by a glance

at his dress.

Speaking

generally, however, a Malay's costume in Perak may be said to consist of the loose trousers, baju or jacket which is made of any kind of material to suit the

and the sarong. The chiefs have taken a great fancy of late to a natty and very effective little skull-cap, of a military

fancy

L 2

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

148

shape,

and the use of

this has

better classes of the people.

and

extended amongst the

It is generally of black

and greatly resembles that in favour the amongst Klings, or natives of Southern India, from whom it was probably adopted. But while the Kling white,

delights in

making

it

of gorgeous colours, with which

he ornaments his wife and everything appertaining to him, the Malay keeps to modest sober tints and a ;

chief will occasionally

wear one formed out of a kind

of reed, and have a text from the

on the

Koran embroidered

front.

The national headdress however Malay

is

the handkerchief, which

is

of

the Perak

and tied

stiffened

with a peculiar twist round the head. When on a journey, and expecting to be exposed to the weather, it is not uncommon for the battek or skull-cap to be

worn

inside the handkerchief, both being arranged in

no ungraceful manner,

for the

Malay has a very good

idea of attending to his personal appearance. Mr. Crawfurd is of opinion that the Malay took the idea

worn upon the head from India but more probable that, like the sarong, it had its

of his kerchief as it is far

;

origin far enough back, with the original tribes

came from Menang Kabow, and who intimated, looked as the 'ancestors

up

from

to

by the

whom

who

has been

are, as

better-class Malays,

they trace descent.

Another form of headdress often worn

is

that

which has been already alluded to as used by the Malay fishermen for protection from the sun. It is

SUITABLE DRESS.

149

worn by the peasants, and, in its umbrella-shape cane-work and head-frame, greatly resembles that with which we are familiar in pictures of the people of

also

China and Siam.

Malays have associated much with Europeans, and have adopted our ordinary costume,

Where

they are jacket,

the

much given

and cover

to

the

short military patrol

their feet with our socks,

and not

only the ordinary, but the patent-leather shoe though they have not yet adopted our chimney-pot hat. ;

the sarong is retained; and in these cases it never looks incongruous ; for, startling as the stateStill

ment may seem, a

gracefully put on sarong, either

with our ordinary dress, or even a military uniform, has not only an admirably picturesque effect, but it is the European and those who have worn it day and night in these latitudes will, from the better health they have enjoyed, have learned to invaluable to

;

respect the Malays for their experience-bought knowIn ledge of what is most suited for their climate. this question

of dress, as well as in

more weighty

matters, the Malays of the peninsula have good reason to feel grateful to the Maharajah of Johore, who has set an admirable

example in adopting the sensible

customs of the Europeans, to the rejection of those unfitted for the climate

The Malay wears

and absurd.

his hair cut short, or shaved, pre-

senting a striking contrast to the Chinaman, with his tail plaited with silken threads, and coaxed down to

"SAEONG" AND "KEIS."

150

touch his

with

heels.

and

The

face

is little

adorned by nature

generally denuded of what little appears, except in the case of the chiefs, who retain a thinly-cut moustache that sometimes reminds one of hair,

is

Albert Smith's description of that worn by a young

gentleman of his acquaintance, whose eyebrows seemed to have slipped down on to his upper lip. The hair of the women, however, is long and luxu-

and

kept beautifully clean by means of the juice of lemon and vegetables, which with the soapnut makes a good lather, and is either worn over the riant,

is

crown of the head, or twisted up at the back in the universal mode that was perhaps established in the days of our mother Eve. Through this knot, which is often so jetty and massive that it resembles the chig-

non of modern European and on often of gold ;

society, are thrust pins festive

very

days jasmine, chum-

paka, and other sweet-smelling flowers are introduced

These pins in a coquettish and very tasteful manner. or bodkins are called clmchu Jcundei, and, like the other gold ornaments that are mentioned, are very frequently tinged of a rich red hue, probably caused by

burning in a charcoal fire and seen against the jetty hair, they have an excellent effect, though only second ;

to the flowers.

The ordinary dress of a Malay woman is, amongst the more prosperous, an inner garment of white cotton cloth, covering the breasts, and hanging down to the hips.

Over

this is the sarong, held

up

at the waist

THE FINDING. twist, as in the case of the

by a

151

men, and

falling in

to the ankles, but further supported by a graceful folds belt or zone of silver or gold, or of embroidered cloth,

where an English lady would

and ornamented in front

by a

wear a buckle This

is

about

large oval plate called a pinding. the oval mount to a photo-

the size of

silver or gold graphic cabinet portrait, and is either of while, in the case of ladies about the little native palm;

frequently studded with precious stones, and beautifully chased by the native goldsmiths.

palace courts,

Over

all this is ,

it

is

worn a long

loose dressing-gown style

This robe falls to the of garment, called the Jcabaya. middle of the leg, and is fastened down the front with

known by

the Malays as krosong. Very frequently the sarong and kabaya are the only garments and when going to bathe a matter of daily

circular brooches

;

custom amongst the Malay

;

and

it is

of Perak

and other

the sarong perhaps alone in these instances that it is neatly

of the country

parts

worn

women

and decorously held up

is

beneath the arm-pits by an ingenious tuck in the folds, the part hanging over close

the breast being called panchong. Simple as the

it

Malay

from unbecoming and is, held possesses this advantage, one which will be

woman's costume

it is

far

;

esteem by every paterfamilias in our empire namely, it never is out of fashion, so as to cause the

in

outcry so cleverly satirised to wear."

One necessary part

by Mr. Butler

"

Nothing

of the female attire has

how-

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

152

necessary or unnecessary, as the case may be namely the salendang, which is a very pretty graceful sash, made of cotton or silk of the

ever been omitted

most

This

delicate texture.

is

worn over the shoulder

or waist, according to the taste of the wearer; fre-

quently after the fashion that an English lady wears her Shetland shawl.

Except when walking, and likely to meet strangers, or when liable to be exposed to the sun, the head is seldom covered is

and then

that the second sarong thrown over the head, and drawn out, leaving a ;

it is

It is worthy of remark that the eyes. the less bountiful nature has been to the Malay

narrow

slit for

woman in

the matter of beauty of feature, the narrower she contrives that the slit shall be a work of supererogation, that, it is to be presumed, is not confined to

the Malays, since strange use is sometimes European countries of a veil or fan. the

made

in

The covering of the feet is generally omitted by women, though they in nowise resemble the

Chinese in smallness, nor those of European ladies in beauty ; but Malays are very clever in embroidering slippers in gold tinsel,

and

these, like those of the

Turks, are worn by the higher-class ladies just over the toes. By way of protection in walking, they sometimes wear a kind of clog, which is made of

wood

and

not held on by strap, toe-piece, or leather covering, but by the simple insertion of a peg on the top, so arranged that it passes

a light white

;

this is

AN ECCENTRIC between the

and

toes,

CUSTOM.

153

so holds the clog

on in what

seems to be a very precarious and uncomfortable manner.

The umbrella, or sunshade, is the property of the nobler sex, and is generally of some gay colour while ;

amongst the chiefs

it

will

be of rich

silk,

and often

The use of these richly fringed and worked in gold. protections from the torrid rays is probably borrowed from the Siamese, who are great in umbrellas, many of

them being of a very gorgeous kind. Both male and female wear rings

the fore and

being the most in favour for displaying the ornaments but the greatest piece of dandyism

little fingers

;

observable amongst the Malay gentlemen in the way of decoration quite equalling the ladies' custom of

using henna to their nails is in the custom of displayThe ing the status as a man who never works.

custom

In that of wearing the finger-nail long. one instance, that of Kooloop Mahomed, a relative of is

the Princess of Perak, the fore-nail of the

had been allowed

to

grow

till it

left

was about two inches

was

long. carefully tended and kept clean to preserve it from dangers, its owner wore It

sheath, something stall.

Whether

Chinese,

hand

;

it

while in a

like a stiffened elongated finger-

this

custom has been derived from the

who have long

nails, it is

impossible to say,

but such a talon always speaks for itself, and says " This gentleman never toils." to the world at large :

Amongst the

little

points of personal ornamenta-

154

"82RONQ" AND "KRIS."

tion adopted

by the Malay women

earrings,

or ear-jewels, with swivels, necklaces,

armlets or bangles.

worked in smiths

are the wearing of

silver

having

Some

and gold no mean

and

of these are very beautifully like the pinding, the gold-

of

idea

finish

in

their

Less admirable however are their practices of rouging a custom confined to married ladies alone art.

and using antimony after the fashion of kohl, to darken the eyelids, and give a lustrous look to the eyes.

But

after

all,

these

customs are infinitely

who give a ghastly the use of a powder

preferable to those of the Hindoos,

yellow tinge to their faces,

composed

by

of turmeric.

A

glance at the engravings will give a very good idea of the dress, both of male and female, amongst the

Malays, and at the same time it will be seen how fond they are of introducing a little variety, even while

adhering to the formal custom of the country in which they dwell.

CHAPTER XY. The

War

Causes of depopulation villages of Perak Inhabitants Extent of population Bird scaring Malay dwellings Untidy habits Bathing House-building Chinese and convict labour.

THE

villages of Perak,

are, as has

which take the place of towns, all situated on the

been intimated, nearly

various rivers.

They

are mostly of very

little

im-

portance, but as in the opening out of the country they may rise to the dignity of busy commercial

emporiums, and as reference to them is made in these They conpages, it is necessary to give their names. sist of

Chigagala,

Kotah Lamah, Korinchi, Saiyong,

Boyah, Sengang, Blanja, Campong Syang, Botah, Pulo Tiga, Passir Sala, Kotah Lumat, Durian Sabatang,

Batu Rabit, and Kotastia, on the Perak river, with Kinta and several smaller villages on the river of that

name

;

Thai-peng and Kamunting have already been

referred to in the Laroot or tin district, but there

is

Bukit Ganting, the Near the Bruas residence of the Muntri of Perak. also in this district the village of

river is the village of

Kurow

river

is

Chindrong Klubi

another village

;

and on the

named Mandring

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

156

Semboh.

become

Qualla Kungsa, so often alluded to, has of importance as the military station of

the British Government.

The custom of polygamy seems partly to blame and the surrounding

for the state of these villages

has done, a gradual depopulation, misery amongst the people, with slavery, and a variety of other abominations while no doubt country,

bringing about,

as

it

;

many have fallen victims to smallpox, fevers, and other diseases for which these people have no remedy, but being

fatalists,

leave

them

to fate to perform

the cure.

Doubtless

many

years ago there was a great drain

on the male population, who went

across to

Sumatra

to re-people Acheen, which has been a very hotbed of wars for some time past ; but under a wise and good

regime, with the people assured of personal safety and protection for their property, Perak would have occu-

pied a very different position as to population to that at present shown. This question of inhabitants in an uncivilised country decide.

is

always one that

is

difficult to

There are no adequate means of judging

where the villages are scattered in

all directions,

many

being in out-of-the-way spots, perhaps untrodden by -a European foot. In fact there is no doubt that the chiefs themselves are in utter ignorance of the

numbers

of the settled, wandering, and floating population of district. That of Perak has been variously estimated at from thirty thousand to eighty thousand,

their

THE POPULATION. with

five

or

thousand

six

to

157

represent

the wild

tribes.

To make an approximation of the numbers by reckoning from the houses and villages on the riverbanks, would naturally give a very unsatisfactory and doubtful result

country in writer's

all

mind

but after pretty well traversing the directions, the impression made on the

is

;

that the lower estimate would be about

Mr. Birch, however, the late Resident, a man who had seen more of the country than any European, correct.

and who had been up every river in the interior, was of opinion that the higher number was correct. Mr. Birch's opinion may be accepted as reliable ; but it must be taken into consideration that during the disturbances of 1875-76, there most probably was a very extensive emigration across the mountains, to the states

of the east coast

been the return

case,

current

there

;

is

and

if this

proves to have

every prospect of a strong

the

country becomes, as it is This is greatly to be hoped becoming, more settled. for, since the return of the people to their old homes will

as

add materially to the prosperity of the country.

Though many

of the

Malays reside in the

interior,

and on the pathways or tracks through the jungle between the different rivers, the bulk of the population chose the banks of the rivers themselves for setting up their homes, for many reasons one of the principal :

being that as a maritime people and giv6n to boating, here was to a certain extent their habitual life at hand ;

"SARONG" AND

158

"KRIS."

though probably, fear of the tribes whose land they had invaded, had something to do with the choice of Condwelling of the first settlers of the country. sequently the Perak Malays have come to be known as the tribe of such and such a river, instead of being

reckoned as dwellers in a province or

district of the

country.

has already been stated that the rivers are the chief highways to the sea, and hence they became the It

means by which the people obtained the supplies brought into the country

such as

salt, salt-fish,

and the simple

while necessaries on which they depend for support a current of trade set in the other direction, tin and ;

This river system being sent out in exchange. has made it very convenient for the chiefs of the rice

country to obtain their dues for no sampan or prau goes up or down the river without being squeezed by ;

the followers of the chief, whose boats are ready at the campong at which the lord resides. One is strongly reminded of the robber chieftains, or barons of the Rhine, in the case of the Perak and

its tributaries

;

though here the enforced tribute has been exacted in a far milder way.

Another reason, doubtless, for the choice of the banks of a stream for residence is the fact that the Malays, who migrated from Sumatra, became, as they drove back the Aborigines into the interior, accustomed to till the ground for the cultivation of rice, their staple food.

For

rice is

now

extensively grown, as

it

BIRD SCARING.

159

has been cultivated more and more with the progress of civilisation. This grain, in its many varieties, culti-

vated on both wet and dry ground, is coming more and more into fashion with the people, especially the

dry ground, or

mad

padi,

who

studies the

which yields a crop

in the

shortest time. It

is,

to one

of the Malays, curious to see in different countries.

One

manners and customs

how habits approximate sees the scarecrows

and

plans laid to keep off the birds at home, and on goingthousands of miles away to the clearings in the jungle of the far East one meets with them again. That ubiquitous bird the sparrow, has been mentioned as amongst the birds of the country, and as he will grub up and

devour the peas at home in a suburban garden, so he makes himself, with other mischievous bird-bandits,

The consequence is that the rice-fields are made grotesque by means of long strings which radiate

busy from

here.

little

bamboo huts

in the centre of the fields.

To

these strings are attached bells, dolls, feathers, rags, anything light and striking, and seated in the hut is a little

Malay boy

or

girl,

whose

sole

costume

is

a red

chintz or cotton bib, which just covers the chest, while

the child's duty is to play spider, and agitate the webs that emanate from this centre, though not to attract,

Miniature windmills, too, are set up to spin round and rattle in the breeze ; but the sparrows of Perak are as impudent as those

but to drive the birds away.

elsewhere, and often treat these plans with contempt.

"SAEONG" AND

160

"

KRIS."

Allusion has already been made to the harvesting, which is here a time of rejoicing, as at home ; but it

has not been said that prejudice necessitates the cutting of the rice stalks one by one, while the destroyed and burnt, its ashes being about the only manure that superstition allows the

valuable straw

Malay

is

to apply to his land.

Situated as it is, with the river flowing before it, the appearance of a Malay village amongst its palms and other fruit trees is exceedingly picturesque, the

waving trees, with their beaucolumnar trunks, and feathery fronds, shading

graceful aspect of the tiful

the quaint

bamboo palm-thatched

pleasing in the extreme.

There

is

structures, being

but

little

attention

but the houses are placed here and there according to the taste and convenience of the owner, who readily plants cocoa-nut trees around, though he paid to order

;

about seven years for their fruiting. there are so many houses that a double row

has to wait

When

occupies the river-bank, a line of communication exists between them that does not deserve the title of road, for the

Malay never thinks of constructing anything

of this kind, but leaves as

Nature.

much

as possible to

Dame

In this case the houses are built, and as the

itself. people walk to and fro the path comes of Below the houses as may be seen in the illustra-

tion,

which gives a very good general impression of an

driven into the soil, ordinary Malay village posts are and upon these small sheds are erected, which serve as

BATHING.

bathing-places,

and are

men and women, and

it

extensively used by both is upon the palm-thatch of

these places that the sarong

is

thrown

as a sign of

a rare thing to go up or a river without seeing someone bathing, for the

occupation.

down

In

161

fact,

it

is

Malays of both sexes are very fond of the water but great care has to be taken on account of the alligators, ;

which are in places exceedingly numerous.

After a

bath the all-important sarong frequently occupies the place of a towel ; and amongst the better classes cosmetiques are used to rub the body, which at other times, if not sufficiently lithe and pliable at the joints,

made to undergo

a kind of shampooing or kneading, the joints being folded, the limbs stretched and pulled, and the knuckles carefully cracked but this is gene-

is

;

rally

"

when the Malay

wind

is

ailing,

or

suffering

from

in the joints."

The residence

of the

invariably built upon posts, some of which are close to and over the water, though there are no floating bamboo raft-houses as in

The

Siam.

floor is

Malay

is

from four to

six feet

above the

the jungle, houses may be found built upon the natural posts formed by the growing trees, the floor, which is reached by a ladder, being-

ground; in

fifteen,

This

is

fact, in

twenty, or even thirty feet from the ground. for protection from wild beasts, cases having

been known of that formidable a hut and bearing

its

The Malay who

cat,

the tiger, entering

occupant away. desires

to

have a comfortable

"8I&ONQ" AND "KRI8."

162

home

literally builds

back of the other

two houses or huts

one at the

separately roofed, but with a

way

of communication to join them and form one shelter. The front house is the place for general reception ; while the back, which is shut off by a doorway and the

is

curtain, children.

home

exclusive

Again,

behind

this,

women and

of the there

is

a kind of

in which the ordinary domestic as cooking and preparing food, are such arrangements,

shed

or

lean-to,

carried on.

The

ground-floor, if

it

may

be so called

that

say the space between the supporting posts general receptacle of

family so idle

;

the

the dirt and refuse of the

so

drains, or clear

and

is

to

wanting in sanitary arrangements, and the Malay peasant, that sooner than construct

and

is

all

is

away

this rubbish,

he will allow

it

to

very frequently brings on ailments which a due attention to cleanliness would

lie

fester, so that

have warded

it

off.

Palm and bamboo

are the chief village building

materials, though in the Settlements good houses are constructed of bricks, for which there is plenty of excellent clay, while lime

that abounds

is

made from

easily procurable.

the limestone coral It is

mostly pre-

who

build up a kiln of alternate pared by layers of coral and timber, and after the requisite burning, a ready sale is found.

the Chinese,

The uprights of a house and its sides having been constructed of bamboo or palm by the Malay of a

HOUSE-BUILDING.

163

campong, lie makes the flooring either of bamboo, or, what is preferable, the nibong palm, which can This flooring is elastic, and and upon it the people, who

readily be split into laths.

not unpleasant to bare feet ; sit upon the floor, are in the habit of spreading mats, which form their seats by day and beds by night.

The

sides of a house of the lower class are either

of the bark of trees or of split reeds

;

made

but in the better-

more elaborate work, being sometimes composed of planks which are laboriously cut from the serayah tree, though more often class houses the walls are of far

of a kind of

mat which

is

in very general use.

These

mats are called kadpangs, and are made of the leaves of a kind of palm, carefully dried in the sun, and then literally stitched together

for the

Malay

utilises the

is

with the universal rattan

;

most apt in the way in which he

abundant materials that nature has placed

to his hand.

Windows

are not forgotten, and these are placed at a height suitable to the convenience of a gazer

Seated

upon the

floor

;

and

in the better- class houses

they are provided with a mat shutter, and a great deal of tasty work is visible in their framing. But, just as in our own land, there are very careless builders

;

and in some of the poorer houses, the sup-

ports being held together with rattans instead of nails, these former w^ork loose, and at last the whole house

goes over bodily right out of the perpendicular. In such a case it might be supposed that, with M 2

"SABONG" AND

164

"KRIS."

abundant materials in the jungle, the Malay would at

He does nothing of the once proceed to rebuild. kind ; but evidently content with feeling that the slip has tightened the rattan lashings of his home, he accommodates himself to the new circumstances, and to the want of the horizontal in his dwelling, and goes on perfectly happy in the feeling that he is after all not called

upon to take the trouble

to rebuild his hut.

there seems to be a belief that

In

unlucky to pull down the old dilapidated dwelling, which stands till it falls ; and the Malay strongly reminds one, in fact,

his

home arrangements,

it is

who could mend it when

of the Irish cotter,

not get at the roof of his house to it was wet, while when it was dry it did not need repair.

The universal stretched over

roofing of a Perak house

bamboo

rafters

and

is

ridge-poles.

at tap

This

attap is the dried leaf of the nipah-palm, doubled over a small stick of bamboo or nibong. The pieces of attap

for

length,

roofing

are

and are bound

generally about four feet in on to the rafters with rattans';

series overlapping series,

Like

and forming a splendid

rain-

thatches, however, the attap proof thatch. will show tender places in time ; when the Malays, instead of re-covering the whole roof, ingeniously in-

troduce

new

all

leaves in the bad spots

;

for

when driven

to take measures, they are adepts at saving themselves

Where extra protection seems to be needed, not uncommon for palm-leaves to be laid along

trouble. it is

CHINESE AND CONVICT LABOUR.

165

the ridge of a roof over the pole, the leaflets being out ; these efforts to obtain a tightly plaited in and

waterproof roof being very necessary in a land where at times the rains are exceedingly heavy. The attap makes a very cool and pleasant roofing material,

and

is

used extensively by the Europeans of

the Settlements, in place of slates or tiles for their from dwellings ; the former having to be brought the while England at great cost and risk of breakage,

not easily procurable of good quality those The objections to of Malacca however are the best. latter are

;

inflammability and want of to be renewed every lasting qualities, since it has ill however used over i g st It f ur ears 7 three o r

the attap-thatch are

its

-

the European barracks, and for the roofs of the residences in the Settlements.

The was

best

built

European residence in Perak

by the

Assistant-resident

house to which allusion was

made

is

many

of

one that

in Laroot

a

as overlooking the

mines of Thai-peng. In this case adze-squared some portions of the verandah, timber was used tin

;

being actually planed a wonderful novelty in Perak ; while greater novelty some of the timbers were painted but a great still

rails,

doors,

and

flooring,

;

part of this was done

which

is

far

more

by means

costly

the Malay. At the same time,

it

and

of Chinese labour,

finished than that of

must be granted, that the

Malays are very ingenious in the construction of their

"SARONG" AND

166

houses, a great part of the

which they so

call

"KR-I8."

work being

clone

with a tool

It is made of iron, and is a biliong. it can be shifted in its rattan

constructed that

socket,

and becomes

workman's

either adze or hatchet at the

any particular or neat joiners' work, the Europeans are mostly dependent on the Chinese, who have erected nearly all the handsome pleasure.

Still, for

dwellings in the British Settlements north and south of Perak ; though a large share of praise is due to the

admirable application of convict labour.

These con-

victs, mostly from India, were employed generally in the construction of our roads, and in building the

Government House,

that

cathedral at Singapore,

handsome

structure

the

and other public buildings

both at Penang and Malacca but transportation to the Straits Settlements has ceased for many years, ;

and India now sends her convicts to the Andaman Islands.

CHAPTER Inche Maida

House-building

Preparations

THE Malay, when put necessity to

means slow

work

for

XVI.

Campongs Poultry

Picking the Cocoa-nut Sambals.

and compelled by own benefit, is by no

to the test, his

in protecting himse]f

from the elements.

After a weary heating walk through the jungle, and securing his return journey by blazing or marking the trees with his parang, he does not think of lying

down upon

but rapidly fits up a upon them, a yard above the

the ground to

few posts, and a

floor

rest,

level, places a palm-leaf roof over the structure, and then protects his loins from the wind as he lies down,

by means of a few palm-leaves. But it is in the building of a chiefs house that the best efforts are put forth and very picturesque ;

are

some of the

thatching,

efforts in this

matted

sides, gracefully

windows,

way, with their neat

and

elegantly-woven

shadowed by the beautiful growth

though there are irreverent Englishmen found ready to make comparisons between these

of palms

;

jungle palaces and the barns of their native land.

"82BONG" AND "KRIS."

168

A

house of this kind will be decorated by the sides being formed of matting composed of split reeds,

woven while

into a neat

other parts

interlaced.

An

check pattern, red and white

made

of

lattice- work

elegant

duced with admirable are

of strips

are

effect,

bamboo neatly is

often intro-

and various

little efforts

to embellish a building that

in keeping with the jungle scene.

be protected by surrounding

;

it

is

thoroughly

Such a place

will

with a stout fence of

bamboo the best example of this being at the home of the Muntri of Laroot, at Bukit Gantang, split

which

;

is

perhaps one of the best-built places in Perak.

At times

these fences, are so strong that they will throw off a musket-ball and those not acquainted ;

with the country,

who have come

across these pagars,

as they are called, have taken them for the stockades used by the Malays in time of war. Sometimes these

fences are merely placed round the base of a house itself, thus enclosing the open part between the posts

through which an enemy could otherwise make his way.

A

at times, till

his

necessary precaution

where revenge

enemy

is

at rest,

is

;

for

sought, a

it

is

Malay

said that will wait

and then, having obtained a

knowledge of where he sleeps, will go beneath the house and pass his kris between the palm-strip flooring into the recumbent body the mat which forms the unfortunate person's only bed being no protection against the keenly-pointed blade.

The residence of the Princess of Perak

at Qualla

INCHE MAZDA'S HOUSE. as will

Kungsa gives

169

be seen in the illustration,

from a photograph taken by the author during the Governor's progress noble's residence.

very full idea of a Malay The house to the left is really a

the kitchen, while that on the right principal apartment

is

is,

concerned, fitted

as far as its

up with a bed

which occupies about two-thirds of the room, greatly resembling in the matter of size the Bed of Ware. This house, with the whole of the campong adjoining, was placed by Inche Maida at the disposal of the British during the disturbances, and formed the headquarters of the general commanding and the com-

missioner with the contingent of troops from India. Inche Maida's principal apartment boasted little furniture

;

but the bed possessed a coverlid of red

with an ornamental border, and curtains meant as a protection from the mosquitoes, but of a texture calico

stout enough to set at naught the attack of a

of locusts. or

"Dutch

Down wife,"

swarm

the centre extended a long pillow,

ornamented

at

either

end with

gold brocade embroidery, the work of the princess's own fingers while round pillows similarly worked ;

finished off the

head of the bed.

Upon

the intro-

duction taking place between general and princess, the lady claimed the former as her guest, and with all the pride of an English country dame of the last century over her well-filled ticks, drew his attention to the bed, less of

which had been, she

expense

;

said, prepared regardbut the general was so simple in his

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

170

tastes that

he preferred to make his resting-place of a

camp-cot.

There are Malay chiefs though, who, having been more in contact with European civilisation, follow our

example not only in dress but in the construction of their dwellings. One instance of this is found in Eajah Bot, ruler of Lookoot in the Soonghy Ujong territory near Malacca, who has supplied himself with a house precisely similar to that which would be built by a European while ascending higher in the scale of improvement we have the palace of the ruler of ;

Johore, at Johore Bahru or

been built somewhat on

New

the

Johore, which has

model

of

our

own

Government House at Singapore, the Balei or Hall of Audience being' altogether unique in its exquisite Lookoot and Johore have, however, been for many years on the borders of European civilisation. Going north though, we have the Eajah

taste

of

and elegance.

Quedah making

similar

advances

the

impulse in settlements our by Penang and Province "Wellesley. This latter chief has gone ;

being doubtless given so far as to fully

laid

have the grounds about his palace tasteout with gravelled paths, flower-beds,

shrubberies, fish-ponds,

and various other adjuncts

of a wealthy person's garden at home. In such a house as that of the Princess of Perak

the bedding is formed only of mats ; one of these and the sarong for cover being all that a Malay in this hot climate seems to need. The apartments are divided

CAMPONG HOUSES. by

curtains,

and a tasty

effect is

171

produced by the use

upon the walls the ceilings of rough thatch and bamboo being covered But the with the same material of various patterns. of hangings of dimity or chintz

Malay

ladies, as in the case of

and

coverlid

;

Inche Maida and her

pillows, are very clever in embroidering

on frames, producing very pretty effects with silk and gold threads or tinsel, which they are fond of working in patterns on red and white cloth.

The various

objects that take attention about the

On poorer houses of a canipong are very interesting. approaching a hut, with its ladder-like flight of steps to the door, close by will be seen the small enclosed shed or granary, with sides of bark, in which the stores his rice for the family during the season.

Malay

Inside the hut, and swinging from a rafter of the ceiling, is that universal adjunct to a married home

the cradle, with

dusky occupant fast asleep. children of larger growth, nude save the

A

its little

couple of chintz bib hanging from their necks, have taken a

peep at the strangers and bounded away or probably the mother has been encountered carrying one, ;

walking with a firm, astride

sitting

brown -skinned cation

;

for

fellows

are

not without edu-

where there are native

asserts itself,

them

upon one little

swing, with the child of her shoulders. These

elastic

and they

are seen, as

schools, antiquity

we have

read of

old geographical works dealing with Arabia, seated upon the floor before boards covered in

the

"8IMONG" AND "KRIS."

172

with sand, upon which they are taught to trace the Arabic characters with the points of their fingers. The way up to the house has been along a narrow track, for the

Malays never walk abreast, but always and so silent is the place that but for

in single file, the tops of the huts trace of habitation

was

might be imagined that no

it

near.

About the houses the tamed pets of the Malays

may

be

noticed

minahs, or parrots, with but as a rule the huts alone

doves,

occasionally a monkey ; are seen, the natives avoiding the sight of a stranger, more often than not from fear. Very frequently,

however, an offering in the where the stranger can find fresh

of hospitality is laid this being a cocoa-nut

way it,

and green; though where the people are not

the fruit

who, if to screw

so shy, fetched for the traveller by one of the Malays, he be unprovided with one of the monkeys is

off the stalk, will

himself take a band,

make

of

a sling which embraces the tree and his body, and then proceed to climb one of his fruit-trees for the

it

refreshing nut.

This he does

by hanging back

against the sling and pressing his feet against the leaf knots in the bark, shifting his band and his feet alternately,

and gaining about twenty inches ascends his

;

time as he

of course grasping the tree stem tightly with

hands the while,

till

he reaches the crown of great

when, selecting a suitable nut, it is lopped a blow from his parang or knife, and falls to by

leaves, off

at a

the ground.

COCOA-NUT PREPARATIONS. At

times, however, the

Malay

his toes in the sides of the trees,

manner.

this

When

this

173

cuts little steps for

and climbs them

fresh green cocoa-nut

in is

opened for the visitor with the parang, its contents are not the hard white nut to which we are accustomed, but a grateful sub-acid water, very refreshing after a journey through the This cocoa-nut

Malay's

on

home

forest.

is

one of the most valuable of the

and

fruits,

used at different periods At one time it is soft and

it is

journey to ripeness. white inside, and can be eaten with a spoon while when the nut grows hard it is either boiled for its oil its

;

or rasped

and steeped, and

its

milky juice used in a

variety of ways for cooking.

The common people have two ways rasping process, not being at

this

One way

culinary utensils.

is

of performing

all

to pass the

deficient in

nut rapidly

over an iron implement, shaped like a military spur, the other is by rubbing on a sort of coarse wire brush,

whose

bristles are short pieces of wire stuck in a small

neatly-formed board. This rasped cocoa-nut enters largely into their food preparations,

and

is

particularly palatable, especially

which can never be tasted in perfection in the east, on account of the absence of fresh except cocoa-nuts and other ingredients.

in curries,

Mutton

generally unknown, but beef, in the form of buffalo flesh, is much in favour with the Malays,

who

use

it

is

when on

journeys, after cutting

it

in strips,

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

174

which are dried in the sun

the intense heat acting upon the meat too rapidly to allow of decomposition taking place, and prepared in this way it is very ;

tender and good. Fish is of course largely eaten, for a Malay never loses an opportunity of catching those of river and sea or crimp before it

;

w hen

but he would think

r

it is

alive,

prepared

and

it

a sin to cut

carefully puts

for food.

it

to death

Salt fish is largely

consumed, and brought from long distances into the interior, with large quantities of sun-made salt.

The

Malay has a very good appreciation of both for his amusement and eating hence poultry, the familiar crow of the cock is often heard about ;

These people are even discriminating in their choice of them for food, but choose those the campongs.

which would be housewife,

who

is

rejected

by every good English

particular to pick out clean, white-

legged Dorkings, while the Malay epicure prefers his poultry with black joints, considering them far better

and more

tender.

be interesting to the reader to have the description of Malay mixtures or sambals for eating with curry, as it will doubtless seem more appetising It

may

than the blachang or

fish

condiment, already described

composed of putrescent shrimps mashed up For the mixtures to eat with his curry, in the sun.

as being

which is always of a very simple kind, the Malay takes dried prawns, cut cucumber sliced in cocoa-nut milk, chillies ground up into a pulp, yam carefully

SAHBALS.

175

cooked and chopped small, the balimbing

fruit cut

mangoes occasionally, chutnies of various kinds, and green ginger shredded small with vinegar. into pieces,

These mixtures are served up on saucers, and eaten with the curry, as

we English

at

home

eat pickles,

and salad

from those handy gibbous- moon plates which are seen at some highly- civilised tables. And it is not only

amongst the Malays that this custom obtains, for the Chinese and Japanese have trays especially designed for

These trays are

their sambals or sweetmeats.

circular,

and have the appearance of a large Pope Joan

board, only that the divisions are saucers to contain

the mixtures.

In India the curries themselves are made hot with

but the Malay makes his curry of very simple materials, with a great deal of cocoa-nut milk therein. chillies,

Very often the dish is entirely vegetable, and the hot spices are mixed in the sambal or condiment which Taking it for granted that the native knows best what is suited for the digestion in is

eaten therewith.

his climate,

European

this

residents,

their breakfast

But

custom

is

freely followed

who add

and dinner

by the

the curry mixture to

as a rule.

with their staple food rice that the Malays, whose right hands are cunning in culinary it

is

preparations,

contrive

their

greatest

variety

of

plain boiled, after being washed by these particular people in six or seven different waters ; made into cakes with scraped dishes.

It is eaten

dry or parched

;

"SARONG" AND

176

"KRIS."

cocoa-nut and sugar, and then neatly arranged in a scrap of cocoa-nut

leaf,

which

is

pinned together with to say, a tiny skewer

one of the native pins that is of bamboo. Plantain-leaves too are great favourites for food purposes, and are often used as dishes from

which the native eats his

rice

;

and

it

is

needless

say that such nature-supplied dishes are never washed, but renewed from the garden for the morrow's meal while should a convenient fire for cooking to

;

be required, nature has supplied a stove and fuel ready to hand, which will go on burning at a This unpatented powerful red heat for many days. stove

is

the

mound

of the white ant, which contains

in itself all the necessaries for this sustained

com-

supplying a want and at the same time as an antidote to getting rid of a noxious pest which the Malays use one kind of wood-oil, or

bustion,

;

this product in combination with arsenic

of lead.

and sugar

CHAPTER

XVII.

Tobacco Opium-smoking Betel-chewing Toddy Arak Domestic implements Dammar Metal work Gold filigree.

Food

A

PEOPLE who are fond of condiments to flavour

their simple preparations of rice,

mous to

eaters of fruit,

may

very naturally be supposed

have a taste for sweets, and

of their favourite dishes

and who are enor-

is

One

this is the case.

a sort of syllabub, com-

posed of sago, which the palm yields them in abundance, boiled down with sugar, and covered with cocoa-nut milk.

This

is

known

as

booboor.

are but a few of the culinary preparations

These of the

Malay, who has in addition his sugar-cane, of which he is inordinately fond eating it largely raw, and taking lengths of it, to peel off the silicious skin, and then cut it in convenient pieces for chewing ; maize, and the rice, and abundant fruits and vegetables

the latter being great favourites ; of luxury the use of tobacco is not at all

onions

while by

way

among

uncommon. N

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

178

As a

rule the

Malay

prefers Javanese tobacco, but

he uses his own coarse preparation of the grown in his own patch of garden, with very little

failing this leaf,

He makes no

hubble-bubble pipe as a rulethough these are occasionally constructed out of the native tin but contents himself with one rapidly trouble.

extemporised out of a cutting of bamboo for bowl, and a shoot of the same for stem. More frequently, however,

he goes to nature in her simplest form to aid him in

what some people would

call

his very

bad

habit.

to his universal friend, the palm, he obtains

Turning from it a supply of cigarette papers in other words, he takes the roko, or outer sheath of the palm-leaf, or ;

else the thin sheath of the plantain, or pisang, rolls in

tobacco, forming rather a large cigarette, and smokes in peace. In fact, in no part of the world has

it

a

little

nature furnished

man

with so

for supplying his simple

many means

wants

;

to his

hand

and even when these

simple wants grow into those of a more luxurious kind, the forest still seems to provide a never-failing store,

only asking to be sought for by those who need. For opium - smoking the Malay is doubtless indebted to the nations farther

It is not greatly

east.

by the poorer Malays, but it is a luxury too frequently indulged in by the chiefs, to the great detriment of their health and mental vigour. This,

practised

of course,

is

from the excess of use

authorities of great experience

who

;

tell

for there

are

of the practice

of smoking opium being carried on to an extreme old

OPIUM-SMOKING.

179

There

age without deleterious however, that when a

man becomes

habit, decrepitude, loss

of appetite,

death result.

effects.

The Chinaman

is

no doubt,

a slave to the

and a miserable

the greatest consumer of the drug in the peninsula, and in the Settlements either smokes at home, or goes to one or early

other of the opium-houses. The process of smoking

is

opium has often been

perhaps never more vigorously than by the late Mr. Charles Dickens but it is so peculiar a pracdescribed

bear repetition. The opium as used by the smoker has been purified from the coarse, tice that it

may

heavy, dank-smelling gum of commerce, roughly prepared from the poppies grown for the purpose, and when ready resembles thick treacle in consistency. placed ready to the chiefs hand, and he then reclines upon his mat and takes his opium-pipe, which

This

is

A

generally of thin cane, with a metallic bowl. tray with a lamp and a little fork form part of the is

paraphernalia. is

is

Upon

this fork a little bit of

opium

twisted up and applied to the pipe, which in turn held to the flame of the lamp, and the little point

used to keep up the supply of opium, clear the pipe, and generally, so to speak, stoke or poke the or fork

is

so that

receives a

sufficient

supply of This kind of smoking quite a serious oxygen. matter, and takes as much time as a Turkish bath, the

tiny

fire,

it

is

smoker having to sink into a state of lethargy, enjoy his dreams, and lie passive till he wakes. In fact, it N 2

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

180

during O which he who indulges sinks into a state that should only be allowable to calm the anguish of a terrible disease. Then is

it

a kind of

intoxication,'

would be a valuable medical it is

gence,

degrading to

aid,

but as an indul-

mankind, and sensual

in the

extreme.

The habit of betel-chewing is not much to be commended, but it is universal, and seems not to be injurious to those

who

In

betel-chewing is so national a custom with the Malay that he will actually practise

it.

fact,

reckon time by the space occupied in the consumption of a "quid ;" the term is vulgar, but too appropriate

For instance, a Malay visits you on business, and sitting down he will not commence the not to be used.

object of his mission until such a time has elapsed as he considers that the chewing of his betel should take.

During

upon

this

interval he

his heels, looking

mouth

is

most probably squatted

remarkably absurd, with his

distended, his eyes half-closed, unable almost

to speak save in monosyllables or grunts.

exceptions, however,

between the upper

lip

many Malays and

teeth,

There are

holding the betel

and conversing pretty

freely.

Both sexes indulge in this habit, which is commenced at a very early age and extends from the ;

lowest,

who

carry their supply in a bag, to the Sultan;

whose regalia there are a certain number of betelIts use, to quote boxes, some of the choicest make. the quaint saying, is probably "as old as the hills." in

THE BETEL.

181

In looking back into ancient chronicles, it is found that according to Salmasius, even in the first century, betel formed an article of commerce, and was sent

from the Golden Chersonese

for lovers of the drug in Arabia and Persia, and that as a compound it was sold in the markets of those countries under the name

given to it by the Greeks of Mala-bathron batJiron being the name for the betel, or areca palm, or the betel of

No

Mala or Ta-Mala.

doubt

it

to the Arabs long before this period, and

of

note

that

it

is

worthy

name Tambal has some

the Arabic

resemblance to Ta-Mala.

was known

In

fact, as

the ingredients

of the mixture as used have always been produced in the Malay peninsula in the highest perfection, and the

habit of chewing

it

is

more prevalent there than

probably among any people on the face of the globe, it may not be unreasonable to draw from the above a further proof of the extremely early acquaintance of the nations of the more Western lands with the Ta-

Mala, Tanah Malai, or

Land

previously been suggested

of the Malays, which has notable Ophir of

as the

Solomon. a curious mixture, being composed of several ingredients, according to the taste or quality

This betel

of *is

the

is

Generally, however, using it. the leaves of the sirih, a creeping plant, that

it

is

and much cultivated in gardens. probably one of the pepper family and its leaves

trained It is

person

up a

stick,

;

are gathered, tied in little bundles of fifteen or twenty,

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

182

and

sold

the bazaars

at

or

little

The second component

villages.

is

shops of the the nut of the

areca-palm, or betel-nut, which grows in clusters on

the tree, and somewhat resembles a nutmeg, with a

These nuts are also sold by yellowish fibrous coating. the dealers ; and for the convenience of the purchaser a quaint-looking instrument, like a combination of nutcrackers and scissors, is kept at hand, to enable the

chewer to break up the nut into small pieces. Next, there is a fine kind of lime, formed by burning seashells,

and kept

like a paste in a brass

box about the

used for tooth-powder at home, while the more luxurious use gambler, sold in strips or cakes of

size of that

a

gum somewhat and a clove

like jujube

which, by

this to give astringencv

the way,

is

an expensive

luxury in these parts.

The betel-chewer, thus provided, takes a sirih leaf from his bag, smears a little lime upon it from his box, places a scrap of areca-nut upon the lime, rolls and folds the leaf up into a neat little packet, and

mouth, where after a little mastication the saliva begins to assume a vermilion hue,

transfers it to his

and the custom famous

is

who

chewing

is

for

w hich

in full force. betel,

T

our sailors have become

Where, however,

it is

a rajah

he uses a spittoon, frequently

shaped like a handsome chalice, and of pure gold. In such a case the chief has a regular tray before him, bearing the spittoon and lime-box, and another for betel, full of

compartments containing spices as

well^

BETEL-CHEWING.

183

His wives, stationed behind him, are employed beating up the components, to save trouble in mastication and, using a curiously-elongated pestle and mortar of ;

brass,

they beat nut,

which

is

and gum into a red paste, the rajah on a bright copper

leaf,

presented to

spatula, which he draws across his tongue, chews, and is

supremely happy.

This brass pestle and mortar are also used by old people whose dentition has become imperfect or worn

The flavour of the

out.

betel-nut,

if

tested

by a

European, is very pungent, aromatic, and astringent and one essay is generally sufficient to decide the ;

experimentalist that betel-chewing is not a practice or vice that it is worth while to contract, even though it is

sedative,

extent.

in

some

The

and probably intoxicating to a certain effect is to stain

cases almost black,

the teeth of a dark red,

and seen in a young

girl

this is to a European anything but pleasant ; but the Malays believe it to be a great addition to a person's

appearance.

They consider

it

to be a sign of refine-

ment, and say that it is only monkeys and other animals who should glory in the possession of white a saying by no means complimentary to the teeth

European residents of the place. This betel-chewing seems however to possess one good quality namely, that of preserving the teeth for that racking pain of civilised life, the toothache, is rarely heard of in Perak ;

or the neighbouring states.

The following quaint description of betel-chewing

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

184

amongst the neighbours of the Malays of Perak, the Siamese, though bearing somewhat the nature of a worthy of notice from showing how thoroughly similar was the custom in the past to The account was written that of the present day. repetition,

is

by De

Loubere, the

la

hundred years

French envoy, nearly two

ago.

The Areca, which the Siaineses do call Plou, is a kind of great acorn, which yet wants that wooden cup wherein our acorn grows.

When

this fruit is yet tender, it has at the center or heart a As it drys it waxes greyish substance, which is as soft as pap. yellower and harder, and the soft substance it has at the heart It is always very bitter and savory. After into four parts with a knife, they take a piece every chew it with a leaf resembling ivy, called Betel by the

grows hard having cut time and

too.

it

Europeans which are

at the Indies,

and Mak by the Siameses.

They

to put it the more easily into the mouth, and do put on each a small quantity of lime made of cockle-shells, and redded

wrap

by

I

it

up

know

not what

art.

For

this reason the

Indians do always

carry this sort of lime in a very little china dish, for they put so little on every leaf that they consume not much in a day, altho'

they incessantly make use of the Areca and the Betel. The Areca whilst tender wholly consumes in the mouth, but the dry always leaves some remains.

The

sensible effect of this acorn

and

this leaf is to excite

much

they care not to swallow the juice ; but it is good to out the two or three first mouthfuls at least, to avoid swallowspit the The other less sensible effects, but which are not lime. ing spitting, if

doubted in the Indies, are to carry from the gums, perhaps by reason of the lime, whatever may prejudice them ; and to f ortifie the stomach, either by reason of the juice, that is swallowed at pleasure,

and which may have

this quality, or

by reason

of the

superfluous moistures which they discharge by spitting. Thus have I never found any person at Siam with a stinking breath, which may be an effect of their natural sobriety. ]S"ow as the Areca

TODDY.

185

and Bdcl do cause a red spittle independently on the red lime which is niix'd therewith, so they leave a vermilion tincture on the It passes over the lips, but by little and little it lips and teeth. thickens on the teeth till they become black ; so that persons that delight in neatness do blacken their teeth, by reason that otherwise the spittle of the Areca and Betel, mix'd with the natural whiteness of the teeth, causes an unpleasant effect, which is remarked in the

common

people.

I shall transiently declare that the vermilion

ladies which we had carried to this country, made them to say that we must needs have in France better Betel than theirs. To blacken their teeth they do thereon put some pieces of very sowre lemon, which they hold on their jaws or lips for an hour or more. They report that this softens the teeth a little. They afterwards rub them with a juice, which proceeds either from a certain root or from the Coco when they are burnt, and so the operation is performed. lips,

which the Siameses saw in the pictures of our

Betel-chewing, combined with the ordinances of Mahomet, probably accounts for the fact that the

Malays are not much given to drinking to excess. There are, however, intoxicating drinks in the country, one of which, known as samshoo, is prepared by fermenting rice, and is chiefly used by the Chinese the native having ready to his hand the toddy of the palm. This is obtained by simply climbing

settlers,

the tree and tapping it in a particular place, just among the great fresh leaves, when the sap or juice

and

runs pretty copiously into the little earthen jars which the Malay ties beneath. When the juice first runs from the tree it is sweet and exudes,

perfectly innocent as a beverage, but if left a short

time, the heat of the sun produces fermentation,

an intoxicating drink

is

the result.

and

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

186

an intoxicating spirit evidently produced by distillation, which is, however,

Arak, as

it

is

called,

is

practised to a very small extent in Perak, though the Malays know the still, or alembic, whose use they

were probably taught by the Arabs. They call it kukusan, from a word which signifies smoke or steam. That distillation is not more practised is explained by the ease with which fermented liquor can be obtained, nature's process with the palm-juice being thoroughly appreciated by one who looks upon matters requiring effort as soosa

trouble.

Domestic implements are not very abundant in Perak, but the people seem to have all their simple

wants demand.

The popular

plate or dish has already

been mentioned as growing on the palm-tree, some of whose leaves make a covering to be envied, being a spear-blade ten feet long by as much as four feet in its

greatest width.

To the palm,

or pisang, they go for

leaves for wrappers ; palm-sheaths form cases instead of paper for parcels, or they are cleverly skewered

together with splints of bamboo, and become buckets that will hold water ; or better still, a thick bamboo

?

three or four feet long, is a very convenient water vessel, and is often seen standing up against a hut. Buckets are also made from the outer bark or skin of

the plantain, across which a stick is tied, and a rope attached for drawing up water from the river for

drinking or bathing purposes as a rule dig

wells,

and

it

;

for the natives is

do not

a matter of custom

DAMMAR. to

wash the

feet after

187

a journey before entering a

house.

Iron vessels are not plentiful, but many families have a kind of pan which they use in their cooking, while the half shell of a cocoa-nut, with a stick passed

through two holes near the edge, forms a capital

ladle.

The cleverness of the women at embroidery has been mentioned they are also adepts at netting, while the men can scheme a basket or cage out of a few rattans ;

and a this

bit or

two of bamboo in a very short time.

way they

will twist together a cage big

carry a wild cat,

made and

In

enough to monkey, or the largest bird, and all

tied with freshly-gathered rattans.

If the

Malay

requires a light

has but to procure a

cymba

shell,

for his house

laying in

it

he

a wiok

formed of fibrous wood or pith, filling the shell with oil from cocoa-nut or palm, and he has a lamp of antique If, on the contrary, the pattern and graceful shape. is to illumine the way through the jungle, or to light off troublesome beasts, a rough torch is readily keep

made

of the leaves of the cocoa-nut tree tied together; but the better kind are formed of a resinous product

known

as

dammar.

This

is

placed between palm

and burns

leaves, fiercely with a capital light while for temporary purposes an extempore cresset is often made by fixing an entire cocoa-nut husk on the top of ;

a bamboo pole, and filling the opening with dammar. This dammar, which is the general Malayan name for resin,

is

dug out of the

forests

by the Malays, and

" SARONG"

188

seems to be the

AND

"KRIS."

former growths of of infinite value to

fossilised juices of

the jungle, probably palms, and is a people who use no coal. peculiar kind of this resin has been lately discovered in Borneo. It is

A

opaque-white, but where broken freshly the fracture is of a beautiful translucent blue, but soon grows opaque

on being exposed to the

Like the dammar of the

air.

Malay, it burns very readily, and is the more remarkable from being the fossil production of a land where the coniferse or pine family are almost unknown. This curious production, which might almost be looked

upon

as a white amber,

is

now undergoing

tests in

the laboratory of the School of Mines, Jermyn Street ; but at the period of writing this work, has not yet been pronounced upon by the chemist who is investi-

gating

its qualities.

Not only

are

mats woven

for the sides of their

houses, but very fine ones are often

made

for orna-

mental purposes. Though not especially tidy about their dwellings, the Malay nations have that most domestic

made from the midribs while of cocoa-nut leaves tied to a bamboo handle among other articles will be found bamboo baskets, of utensils, a broom, which

is

;

the people are very fortunate, a china basin and a spoon. At a rajah's house it is no unusual and,

if

thing to find a complete tea-set, of which the owner is very proud, but invariably follows the Chinese fashion of preferring an earthenware teapot to one of other material.

GOLD FILIGREE. Metal finds domestic native

utensils,

tin,

bottles.

its

way, though, into some of the the metal generally being the

of which they construct ewers

As

articles is

to gold, the

work of some

and water-

of the better

very beautiful, notably the gold and

flowers presented as tribute to the

These are some eighteen inches high,

worked

189

in filigree.

silver

King of Siam. and exquisitely

CHAPTER Chinese

tallymen

Debt-slavery

British influences

XVIII.

Slave-hunting

ALLUSION has been made before to the habit amongst

Punishments-

Difficulties of Eesidents.

similarity of

peoples in far-distant parts of the world.

In any county court in our agricultural districts the judge's pest is the ever-recurring case of the tallyman,

who summons ten

or even twenty labourers for small

debts, caused by their wives running up accounts with these travelling drapers and tea-men in their absence.

Precisely similar cases take place in Perak, where, however, there are neither tallymen nor county

But the place of the former is taken by the ubiquitous Chinaman, who, in the most adventurous courts.

manner, goes

off

into

the interior with his wares,

consisting principally of calicoes, chintzes, and sarongs, borne upon the ends of a bamboo, while in one hand

he carries a rattle-drum to announce his coming this latter being a tiny instrument formed out of three or ;

four inches of hollow bamboo, covered at the ends

with python

skin,

and pierced through the centre

CHINESE TALLYMEN. with a stick which, serves as a handle.

191

The percussion

caused by means of a pea at the end of a string attached to the middle of the bamboo, which the China-

is

man

twists rapidly backwards

and forwards by means

of the handle as he enters a campong, when the pea strikes first one and then the other end of the drum.

This signal has

its

effect

upon the Malay women, work in the fields, and

whose husbands are away the pedlar's visit is welcomed as readily as that of Then comes the taking his prototype in England. at

of credit

followed

by the day

furious quarrels arise

;

of reckoning,

when

the husband not unfrequently

resenting the demand for payment with his kris, to the serious injury of the heathen pedlar, who is

sometimes murdered in the up country, for the sake of the money he has collected in his adventurous rounds.

These sarongs, by the way, are always presenting themselves under fresh auspices one of the most :

which they are put is that of slinging one upon a bamboo, after placing therein the body of an injured or slain man, and the bamboo being lifted

peculiar uses to

on the shoulders of a couple of Malays, the sufferer borne away in this extemporised litter with ease.

Debt

is

a serious thing in a land like Perak, where bankruptcy is not exactly paid for with a pound of flesh, as

is

in the days of Shylock, but with the whole

nine or ten stone which form the bankrupt's body, and this too often becomes the creditor's property

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

192

for

the unfortunate debtor's wife and

life,

children

succeeding to the bondage in their turn. The Bugis may sell himself to another Bugis, if he is indebted to him, and he can at any time

redeem himself but this

is

he can raise the purchase-money ; not the case with the Malay, who becomes if

a slave indeed, and has no

way out

of his state of

a debt cannot be paid, the Malay is bondage. handed over at once and failing himself, his child If

;

or

some other

exceptions are

relative has to take the place,

made by which

depends on the

The debtor

life

though

the security of the debt

of the person alone.

with the family of his creditor, to whose benefit the work done is applied, and even lives

Chinese in the Settlements obtain the labour of their

In fact, the strict manner of debtors in this way. defraying debts is a remarkable trait in the customs or the Malays, dues.

who

are very punctilious in paying their done by cattle or elephants is appraised Damage

and paid

these matters arising is

code of laws containing forfeits for while, if the damage be nocturnal, and

for, their ;

from neglect in confining

buffaloes, the penalty

particularly severe.

custom of debt-slavery exists to a great extent, and seems, says Mr. Davidson, her Majesty's " to have arisen from the Resident at Salangore, This

abuse of an old practice in Malay countries. It is contrary to the Mahomedan religion for a person born in a Mahomedan country, and brought up in

SLAVE-HUNTING.

193

that faith, to be a slave, though the reduction to slavery of the Battak people, and those who do not

the Mahomedaii

profess

hibited

by

faith,

seems nowhere pro-

the laws of that faith."

Kevolting as slavery

is

to

the

feelings

of an

Englishman, and eminently un-Christian as it is, we must remember that it is a peculiar soil in which it has grown, and not deal with it from our own vantageground ; for the slavery of Perak is an institution of

That it is a custom at times terribly the country. abused there can be no doubt ; but, on the wr hole, the regime under which the slave lives

is

mild and not

Among the evils of slavery, the disadvantageous. power of the Sultan or chiefs to seize upon the person of any one to whom they take a fancy, will be treated of in a future chapter, in connection with the Government of the country. There are, however, other evils,

which

it is

to be

by those who instance, it

is

hoped have been greatly exaggerated For narrate the matters as facts.

asserted that the Sakais, or Jacoons, are

hunted down, captured, sold, and made slaves; and the late Mr. Birch states that from his experience

literally

these people were far worse treated than others of their class ; since they were badly clothed and fed, and made

work excessively hard

while they were considered as debt-slaves on account of the money that had been

to

;

expended upon them. It might be considered that these people, accustomed to a wild life, would readily escape to the woods

;

but they have

little

chance of

"8ABQNQ" AND "KRIS."

194

getting away, and the penalties are too heavy, the least being severe ill-usage, perhaps death for if a ;

killed one of these slaves, it

Malay

would

excite

no

attention amongst the owner's people. Instances of this slave-hunting are not at all uncommon, as recorded by the various Eesidents ;

one of

whom

specially notifies

of these outrages.

been

frequently

Perak as the scene

The Sakai women seem

down

hunted

wild

like

to

have

beasts,

becoming with their children slaves through generation after generation. Not that this practice is of the approved by Malays, who speak very strongly

in reprehension of the cruel act ; and in one case that is recorded, where fourteen of the wild people

were caught and carried

made

to

free

though doubtless

by the

off in chains,

discover the offenders and this

attempts were the Sakais

set

was on the action taken

British Eesident.

Instances are given of death being inflicted for these attempts at flight, and even for far more trivial

offences

;

whilst one, special in

reported from Salangore. slaves, two girls and a boy,

is

its

atrocity,

In this case three debtall

under twenty years of

from their master, and took refuge at a place some two miles down the river. They were, however, caught, brought back, and the boy was at once taken age, fled

and put to death by a thrust from a kris. As, however, it was not the custom to kris or stab were told by the Kajah's girls, these two poor creatures to a field

SLAVE PUNISHMENT.

195

wife that she was going to bathe, and they were This was ordered to accompany her to the river.

only a short distance from the house

;

and upon

their reaching a log lying in the water, one girl was seized and held, while a follower of the Eajah's wife caught the other by the hair, thrust her into the

water, and held her head

down beneath

with his foot until she was dead.

the surface

The other was

then seized in the same manner and drowned

;

the

bodies being afterwards left upon the muddy river's bank, exposed to the attacks of the alligators,

poor

until

girls'

such time as the relations might come and These were slaves of the Sultan of

remove them. JSalangore,

second son

and were ;

killed

by order

of the Eajah, his

and upon the Sultan expressing anger at

the deed, the Eajah generously presented the relatives with winding-sheets for the bodies of the dead. Only a short time subsequent, another son of the same

Sultan krissed one of his debt-slaves, not for an actual offence, but for threatening to become a thief.

One very general way

of getting in debt

amongst

the Malays is through gambling. By an infatuated love of play, a man gets so in debt that, he gives himself up, with perhaps wife and children, to his successful opponent ; and then, so far from being cured of his mania, he is seized with an insatiable desire to

by the same practice, and gambles to the money to buy himself from his owner. How

free himself raise

often he

is

successful

may

be readily surmised. o 2

In

"SARONG" AND "KEIS."

196

fact, it is

almost beyond credence to see

how

exten-

the range of debt caused by gambling, and frequently a Malay will pledge self or child to

sive

is

how

of payment. In addition, there are in Perak

his creditor

by way

points in connection with the system

intricate

many

which make

it

excessively hard for those innocent of complicity in the incurring of the debt. For instance, the contraction of a debt

and children

may

by a married man binds

and, what

;

is

afterwards be born to him.

man

his wife

more, those children

Again,

if

who

an un-

woman

be in debt, and afterwards marry, the husband or wife so taken becomes part of the bond, and the children who result from the mar-

married

or

Their destiny is to work, often under hard usage, for the creditor, who must repay himself many times over for his original loss ; and this must be a great temptation to the Malays to

riage are in like evil state.

keep up the system, though they frankly own that is wrong, and contrary to the laws of the Prophet.

One

it

curious fact in connection with this custom,

showing how thoroughly secured a creditor is, deserves mention. In cases where a child is placed

as

with a creditor as a security for a debt, and this and in child dies, another is supplied in its place ;

the case of a Eajah, the whole family

may

be taken

into his house.

In spite of the objectionable nature of this custom,

and

its

opposition to progress amongst the people,

it

BRITISH INFLUENCE.

197

would be extremely injudicious to try and put a stop to it at once, as it is like dealing with a man's property to ask him to give up that which produces his daily supplies, or in

that he

has

some

cases represents capital

Eigid measures of

lost.

him

suppression

and out of place for the course to be taken should be one which would tend to soften would be

ill-advised

;

and modify by degrees the arduous^ character of the native laws by influence and persuasion, when the example set by the higher classes would presumably result in the

customs

falling slowly into disuse.

This

has been the case in the states where British influence

has been for some time at work

doubt that, time being given,

and there can be no

;

it

would prove to be so

here.

Somewhere about 1820, when

Sir

Stamford Baffles

was trying to reform the Mengiring system

down

at

Ben-

which coolen in Sumatra, he laid were admirably adapted to the purpose in view for certain rules

;

they afforded the greatest relief to the debtor consistent with the just claims of the creditor.

These

regulations are quoted in Moor's "Notices of the Indian Archipelago," and are well worthy of repetition here.

Any

person

who had

fallen into the condition of a slave, or

was

from inability to pay the amount of his debt, might redeem himself by entering into a voluntary contract, with any liable to it

who should agree to pay the amount, to serve for a specified of time proportionate to the sum paid ; such sum being conperiod sidered as an advance to be liquidated by a certain definite service

person

to be rendered

by the

debtor.

Thus, in lieu of absolute and un-

"8ARONQ" AND

198

"KRIS."

limited slavery, will be substituted a system of free and voluntary contract, by which the debtor or slave enters at once into all the privileges of freedom, subject only to the fulfilment of an equitable contract, at the same time that the interest of the creditor is fully

secured.

Similar regulations would be most appropriate for Perak, but would of course be only applicable to that slavery which It is

due solely to debt. much to be desired that in Perak and other

native states,

is

now more

closely

under the wing of

British protection, steps should be taken to abolish

by

system of debt-slavery, through which degrees the improvement of the country is greatly retarded, this

and

all

general efforts to increase the industry and are blighted in the offset. When once the

commerce

native rulers are taught that a way out of the pernicious system can be found, and without prejudice to the creditor, there

is

no doubt that they

will gladly

what they know to be contrary to the Mahomedan law and the oppressive regulations will give

forsake

;

place to a milder

and more

civilised code.

Other existent forms

comprising the slavery about the Battak that of ; people, who have been regularly bought and brought over ; and also that of the people and girls of the country will not be so

the palace

easy to eradicate, and must be left to the influence which time and the spread of civilisation will bring about.

To turn

few minutes, before concluding this it may be said the subject, to the oppressive way for a

DIFFICULTIES OF RESIDENTS. barbarous

way

199

in which debt-slavery acts, let the

following be given by way of illustration. The reader must be asked to suppose what would be the opinion of Englishmen upon a case at home, were it possible, in

which a labourer who was in debt to the amount

of five-and-thirty shillings, being unable to pay the sum, should be seized by his creditor, with his wife,

both thus becoming bond-servants or slaves, unable to free themselves,

or their children to come, from

And yet such things have occurred the One of the ktest travellers amongst Malays. through Perak, the Hon. W. Adamson, quotes a case their position.

man and

in which a

debt of seven dollars.

his wife

became

Endless are the hardships of

these poor people, whose children

bond-servants

;

slaves for a

and though,

become hereditary

as a rule, their treatment

good, yet the iniquity of the system is monstrous, and leads amongst the women to a degradation that lowers the whole tone of the country. The misfortune is

is that,

until the

classes of the

Malays grow more enlightened, the position cannot be altered Sultan and chiefs setting the example of being the upper

;

hardest taskmasters, and feeling

it,

under the present

regime, to be to their interest to maintain the status

while one of the greatest difficulties the British Eesidents have had to deal with has been the of the slave

;

settling of disputes,

when, urged by some

their wretched souls of the

faint echo in

knowledge of England's man's on freedom, some unfortunate persistence every

"&LBOJM3" AND "KRIS."

200

or another has fled to for protection

Every

Her Majesty's

visitor to the

the practice

;

brought home

state joins in

condemning

but to each in turn

the feeling is that nothing can be done by a sudden position in the country is only that of

Our protectors and advisers change.

representatives

from a cruel master.

;

and stern persistence would

only result in embittering the chiefs, without imIt is an old ulcer proving the condition of the slave.

on a beautiful land, and must take time

for its cure.

"Wherever the beneficent light of civilisation has begun to shine, there the position of the bondsmen has rapidly improved, as in the states of Johore, Salangore,

comparatively new ground; but even here our Eesidents have made improvements,

and Quedah.

Perak

is

In such as have vastly benefited the lower orders. short, the good seed has been sown, and in time a better state of things will brighten the face of the land.

PERAK CHIEFS AND ATTENDANTS.

CHAPTER The Malay

character

XIX.

Dealings with chiefs

Mr. Muntinghe at

Palembang.

PERHAPS

in

no people is a more singular combination found than in the Malay. In his general

of qualities character in Perak, or other parts, where his intercourse with the European or Chinese has been infrequent, he can be described only

by a knowledge and by the associations by

of his internal disposition, which he has been surrounded since he

from what was he

is dull,

ease, effort

little

first

better than barbarism.

heavy, and

listless,

fond of a

emerged

Naturally

life

of slothful

and takes a good deal of coaxing to make an for the improvement of his state, or to do any-

even, it thing conducing to his profit or advantage be to his once But when amusement. said, may

and sometimes a very

roused sufficient

his energy is

thing will be remarkable, and the dogged slight

determination he will throw into the pursuit of his object

is

surprising, bringing out, as

it

does, so dif-

ferent a phase of character that he seems to existence.

have a new

"SAKONG" AND

202

"KEIS."

With, such a disposition, upon which was grafted the various ideas brought about by intercourse with

the Arabs, and the subsequent adoption of the religion of Mahomet, the natural result was an increased indolence and listlessness of character, and incapacity for steady labour. In fact, the Malays gradually

imbibed much of the careless lawless nature of the

Arabs of the desert .

and the adventurous

;

the marauder whose hand

is

spirit of

against every man, broke

out in the various acts of piracy for which the Malay

has so long been famed. These dangerous forays were quite in keeping with the clannish habits of the Malay, while, being

now by

religion

made

fatalists,

they grew

careless of exposing their lives, since the future

was

secure.

recognise however no such thing as caste, like the Hindoos ; though so tribal are they in their

They

tendencies, that

a

when

the Viceroy of 'Salangore, himself some of his people to come and

man, sent for

Quedah support him during

a petty war in Klang, the Malays of the country looked down upon these newcomers as aliens

and

strangers, not belonging to this tribe,

nicknamed them Orang-Quedah,

or

men

of

and

Quedah

they do to this day. This strong feudal pride, arising from their principle of tribal associations under

as

chiefs

races

a practice common to both Arab and Malay with its natural independence of spirit and love

of liberty,

makes

it

at

all

times a difficult task to

render them tractable under coercion, though capable,'

MALAY CHARACTER. a patriarchal sway, of implicit and cheerful obedience.

tinder

203

readily

The

yielding

obstinacy,

an

how-

ever, and determination of the Malay, make him at times strongly to resemble the spoiled child, who will destroy all rather than give up a single point. Their sense of power, which, under the influence of

higher civilisation is a fine trait in their character, renders them, in a less civilised state, morbidly sensitive to slight or insult. "

says

In

fact,

one of their proverbs

A

:

scar."

offence

wound may heal, but will always leave a Acting upon this, a Malay rarely forgets an against him, but nurses it in his bosom until

opportunity arrives for revenge and as his idea is that the insult must be washed out in blood, and as ;

likewise he always carries the familiar kris, fatal cases

of retaliation are not

uncommon.

In demeanour among themselves, and towards the European, the Malays are at all times courteous while ;

with one who speaks their language and understands

and

respects

extremely social staid

and

manners and customs, they are and friendly but, from their own

their

retiring

;

ways,

they

very quickly lose

anyone who is boisterous in his mirth, impulsive and rude in his habits, and otherwise dis-

respect

for

plays a thoughtless disposition such as is so foreign For a Malay, as a rule, speaks to their own nature.

every word a distinct emphasis, while he is utterly unable to take a joke, or to view it in the light in which it has been intended. slowly,

giving to

"82RONG" AND "KRIS."

204

In their own

social life

wives and children, and

they are fond of their

live,

as

a rule,

in

great petty thefts amongst themselves being almost unknown. They hesitate a good deal about dis-

unity

;

playing their worldly possessions, but this is chiefly from a dread of exciting the cupidity of the chiefs,

by whom,

in

so

many

instances,

they are hardly

oppressed.

So courteous are the Malay chiefs by nature, that in the pla.ces where they have not yet come under

European influence, they will apparently acquiesce in any measure that may be proposed by saying, Baik "

This expression must not, however, be always taken to mean that the chief agrees with the views expressed by the speaker, though there is

tuan,

or,

Very good,

much in the way of the often they

may be

sir."

delivery of the words

;

but more

taken to mean that the views of the

At the same speaker shall receive due consideration. that this there is the time, may be a polite probability of giving an acquiescent reply for the moment, but with no ulterior idea of following out the wishes

way

expressed.

Chiefs of this stamp, of whom there are many in Perak and in the native states, possess great capabilities for dissembling, and very rarely show in their

passing in their minds so that the carrying out of any act of revenge that may have been determined on, is often reserved for a fitting opporfeatures that which

is

;

tunity, the victim, in the meantime, not having the

DEALINGS WITH CHIEFS. slightest suspicion

against his

205-

of that which has been planned

life.

In political interviews with such chiefs

it is

always

well to keep to the point under discussion, and to The subject force them to follow your example.

should be approached with perfect good temper and gentleness of manner, but with a firm determination to carry the point, coiite qiii coute; the opponent being

made

to understand this

more from the speaker's and as diffi-

manner than from the words expressed

;

advanced from their point of view, they should be assured that all these have been thought of and duly considered from sources of information culties are

but which are naturally beyond the reach of the chiefs. All doubt or hesitation in such meetings may be looked upon as almost

which the speaker

possesses,

invariably fatal to success. Again, in all intercourse with this class of chief

and here

marked

distinction

those with

more

let

it is

whom we

Malay

be clearly understood that a drawn between this class and

have been brought in contact,

in Johore, Quedah, Tringanu, and the examples of the past should not be lost sight of, some of which are unfortunately only too fresh in our memories, both as regards the especially

other places

peninsula and Sumatra. Malay has a great idea of his

A

own

dignity as a man, his love of, and belief in liberty, causing him to resent what he looks upon as insolence or overbearing

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

206

treatment, and

it is

at such times as this that he dis-

Left to himself, like plays his most dangerous traits. the poisonous snake of the jungle, he will avoid the

coming footstep and pass on but arrest him, and try A good to force him to your will, and he strikes. example of this peculiarity of character was shown in ;

a case which occurred some years back on the frontiers of Malacca, where a European official was passing Meeting a along a path followed by a policeman.

Malay

peasant, the

man

passed on without salaaming indignant at w hat he looked

The latter, want of respect, angrily spoke to the ryot, as a upon asking him how he dared to pass without saluting. The Malay calmly replied that he did not know the official, who then sharply laid his hand upon the the

T

official.

offender's shoulder.

in the

air,

and a deadly thrust was

nately the blade like lightning,

But

In an instant the man's kris flashed

fell

to the ground,

delivered, but fortu-

and the blow, given

was delivered with the handle

for this incident in his resentment at

alone.

what he

looked upon as an insult, the Malay would have killed the European, who was however saved from further

by the policeman seizing the Moor also, in his "Notices," as

attack

offender.

back as 1824, in dealing with this far

gives us an instance of failure people which occurred to Mr. Muntinghe, who was a member of council, at Palembang, in Sumatra,

during the British and Netherlands administration of Java.

MR. MUNTINGHE.

207

Before proceeding to Palembang, as commissioner of the Javanese settlement, Mr. Muntinglie dwelt with much complacency and self-conviction on the idea that

than twelve months, establish the revenue system there as firmly as it had been done in Java and that then it could soon be extended

he should, in

less

;

to all ]?ulo Percha, or Sumatra.

He was

cautioned

against this plan by Mr. Raffles, afterwards Sir Stamford Raffles, who said that it was unsuitable to the

and people but Mr. Muntinghe, perhaps from want of practical or intimate knowledge of the

place a,

;

and not persuaded that such a diversity of character existed between the Javanese and the people,

Malays, held to his determination, and was rather strengthened in his private plan, and lured on by the hiefs, as usual, into

a belief that

be gratified and accomplished.

wishes might The attack on the

all his

and the Residency, the precipitate flight of Mr. Muntinghe from Palembang, and the subversion of all fort

were the work of a single day. The wise Grecian legislator of old said

his measures,

:

"I gave

to the Athenians, not the best laws, but those most

fit

them;" and the notice ends with the very just remark: " It should not be necessary in the ninefor

teenth century to write laws with blood." The most advanced of the chiefs in European civilisation is the Maharajah of Johore, a gentleman

who

has, while retaining his native state,

adopted our

English manners and customs almost in their entirety,

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

208

and where they

are mingled with those of Malaya, far from having a barbaric effect, they are on the whole pleasing. His Istana, or palace, at Johore is a

handsome

building, admirably furnished

room, with piano for the use of English

;

the drawing-

visitors,

being

The Europeans of the perfect in its appointments. Settlements are frequently his guests ; and in every possible

way

his efforts

making them

seem to be directed towards

feel that

they are being entertained by an English in place of an Eastern prince. A good deal of this is due no doubt to the effect

where during of a visit to England some years back his stay an amusing illustration of our ignorance of the qualities and state of Eastern chiefs, was afforded ;

in the

way

in which the late Sir Eoderick Murchison

introduced the present Maharajah at a meeting of the Eoyal Geographical Society.

was while a speech was being made by Sir Eoderick that a paper was passed to him as a It

reminder of the coming of the distinguished visitor, when he remarked " Ladies and gentlemen, I had :

almost omitted

to

mention

to

you

that

we

are

honoured evening by the presence of an eminently intelligent Eastern prince the Jinnygong of Tohore." here

A whisper men

the

immediately passed on to him by way

and referring once more

of correction,

he exclaimed

this

" :

I

beg your pardon,

Tumongong

of Johore."

to the paper

ladies

Then

and gentleto the giver

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S of the paper pettishly

" :

Your

T's

VISIT.

and

J's

209

are all

alike."

The Maharajah, always celebrated

for his hospi-

gave the Duke of Edinburgh a very notable reception on the visit of His Royal Highness to the tality,

Here the mingling of Eastern pomp and European customs was very remarkable for while carriages of British construction, and servants Straits Settlements.

;

in liveries of the royal

Malay

colours, green

and rich

was prowhich were

yellow, were in attendance, a grand effect

duced by the Maharajah's state barges, painted and manned for the occasion in a very Each barge was rowed by sixty striking manner. or seventy men,

wearing silk jackets of a brilliant One barge would be painted bright blue, the hue. jackets of its rowers being to match another was of all

;

a bright green ; another yellow, and so on. Open house was kept and sports were arranged ; the whole

forming an event in the history of the peninsula which is recalled with pleasure by the natives to this day. another occasion, the Maharajah entertained a departing Governor and his lady at a banquet at the

Upon

Istana, or palace, when the menus were printed on pieces of rich yellow satin bordered with green silk lace.

prince

As an example of the style in which an Eastern who adopts our customs can give a dinner, it

not be out of place to print here in extenso the contents of the bill of fare, in spite of the peculiarity

may

of the Malay language.

It is

unnecessary to give a

"8ABQNQ" AND "KElS."

210

translation in

Tim

and the reader

full,

signifies soup,

have already been

Ikan

fish,

and

will surmise that

so on.

Sambdls

while amongst the ; Manissan, or sweets, plum-pudding and custard are described

English to need no interpreter. Suffice that the list contains all the delicacies to be pro-

sufficiently it

cured in the Straits, not omitting Dodol

Ananas, Susu, and Limau.

SAXTAPAN. TIM.

Panggang pringi dungan badam. Sayur kerchachan. IKAN.

Kendang Tengiri. Merah kwah anchovy. Dainblang kwah

tritep.

IDANGKAN.

Opo

etek dungan kanah.

Kendang chinchang Plentong. Burong pati chindawan busote. Panchur sarak tritep. Eusuk daging biri-biri. Smnbret panggang pringi. PAHHAR.

Tanggang kalkun isi trufle. Ayam blanda rubus di Jawa.

Daging biri-biri Kanibing rubus

Lumbo Leda

di panggang.

pati santan.

golie.

sapi

dalam belda.

Baku

(ices),

A MALAY MENU.

211

SAYUR. Kintang. Sulo di France.

Loba mera.

Bunga

Kachang

hijau.

Jagong rauda.

kobis.

Goulai Santan.

Goulai di Johore.

Madras

Singapore Curry.

Curry.

Sayur Kechambak. SAMBAL.

Tumis blacliang. Tumis kuchai. Tumis hudang. Trubo. Tumis blimbing. Telor di rendang. Serai.

Asam.

Seconding.

MANISSAN.

Limping dungan limau China. Plum-pudding.

Buahulu dungan

custard.

Serikaya.

Pengannan buah-buah. Belda Sirop.

Belda Susu.

Jubun rendang. Plampong

Keju. di

"Whampoa.

Halwa

Halwa buah Kring.

Cliayir.

DODOL BAKU. Ananas.

Susu.

Limau.

Courteous, religious, social and hospitable, gentle in his ways when calm, and his passions not roused,

the Malay,

when angry

or under excitement, is reckp 2

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

212

be described as volcanic

fact, all

a

He may,

and bloodthirsty in the extreme.

less

that

is

goodly and

fair,

in

presenting to the eye while beneath the surface :

always smouldering, ready to burst forth without warning, and spread ruin and destruction around. There can be no doubt that by nature the fire

is

Malay and in

is

of an

several

extremely nervous this

ways

is

temperament

made known

;

the

to

For Europeans with whom he comes in contact. instance, under certain circumstances that peculiar nervous affection already alluded to, is seen, where a man's will appears completely under the influence of those he meets, and he seems

bound

to imitate every

gesticulation or movement that is made ; but the affection or mania that makes these people a terror and

a danger to their fellows, is that " as it is

Eunning a-muck,"

common that the term own quaint sayings to

known

as AmoJc.

popularly called,

is

so

has been adopted

apply to

among our any person who is

or wild doings ; but probably the extent to which this practice obtains is not known to Even while this work has been passing the reader. in

reckless

his

through the press, Kajah Mansur, one of the sons of Yusuf, the present ruler of Perak, during a strange fit of excitement, drew his kris and rushed off, striking right and

left,

two persons, and

killing six finally

and severely wounding

making

his escape into the

In the illustration which

given of the Sultan and his two sons, the one upon his left is the

jungle.

is

AMOK. young man

in question.

He was

213

only about twenty

years old.

Even

in

European countries, example amongst with overstrung or disorganised nerves seems people to be contagious, and the sufferers apparently feel compelled to perform acts that would, while in sound health, be

nature

repugnant to every disposition of their and among the Malays this custom of Amok

;

has unfortunately grown to be national, and is looked for just as the Japanese performs the hari-kari In this latter case, as a termination to his career.

however, the unfortunate is content with destroying his own life, while the Malay may be the cause of death or severe injury to twenty or thirty people before he

a

mad

is literally

hunted down and destroyed,

like

dog.

Physiologists attribute this uncontrollable fury to in fact, to a kind of monomania induced by disease disorder of the digestive organs ; but there are occasions when the practice is made subservient to the will,

and a Malay

will

"run amok"

to gratify revenge, or, as if for a forlorn hope, adopt it in the little wars of

the people, rushing amongst the enemy and killing In fact, it will be seen that on the right and left. occasion "

of the "

murder of Mr. Birch, the cry of was raised, and a savage rush was

Amok, amok made by all present, who seemed to be animated with but one desire to kill. The Malay, speaking of !

Amok,

" says

:

My

eyes got dark and I ran on."

In

214

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

other words,

lie

says

lie

was blind with fury

:

or he

will attribute the seizure to vertigo.

In the Settlements the event there

is is

for the

and

foe

first

given by the cry of

"

warning of such an

Amok, amok

a rush, and people fly right and

" !

when

left to shelter;

runner makes no distinction between friend ;

his eyes are indeed dark,

and he

is

blind to

everything but the intense desire to kill all he can before he renders up his own wretched life. Shrieks, of warning, the rush of feet, people trampling over each other in their hurry to escape, and the eager cries

excited eyes of the Malays, as each man's hand goes to the twisted band of his sarong to draw forth the For, as the runner's desire is now to kill deadly kris.

he can, that of the peaceable he can do much mischief. all

The cry goes on

is

to slay

him

before

advance of the madman, and the Sikh police clutch their weapons, the Eurofar in

peans seize gun or revolver, and every eye is strained, every nerve attent for the coming peril. " " a wild shriek or two followed amok

Amok,

by and a groan, as the madman rushes on, striking here and there, taking people at a disadvantage, and marking

!

his course with bleeding victims, while his

pursuers gather in numbers, the Malays among them growing as madly excited as the runner they pursue.

The object nowadays is to take the man alive, to try him by our laws, and punish him for murder; and to further these ends, the police in the Settlements

AN AMOK.

215

are provided with a huge short-pronged pitchfork, to catch the madman by the throat, and pin him to a wall

when he is driven to bay. But this is not yet, and he runs on

in his fury, driving his kris into one fleeing unfortunate's back,

made by an

leaping over his body, avoiding a thrust

opponent, and returning

with deadly effect. Or it with cuts, and bleeding from may gashed the stabs he has received himself. Shots are fired be that he

it

is

at him, some taking effect; more, from the hurry, missing the flying maniac, who still runs on, marking his

course with his

own blood and

that

of fresh

victims, his strength in his exaltation being prodigious,

and wonderfully enduring, so that he is a match for two or three of his fellows and so he goes on and on, till he falls from some shot, or sinks from exhaustion, ;

to be despatched

by the ready

krisses carried

by every

Malay.

But there are times when, cut

off

and hemmed

in,

Amok

runner stands at bay in some house, or against a wall, glaring with bloodshot eyes, dripping with blood, and holding out his stained kris, he defies the

Now

that the police of the Settlements bring into use the great fork men-

anyone to approach.

tioned, deftly thrusting at

to

it

him

is

till

he

is

caught by

the wall, and held there

the throat, pinned by the strength of two powerful arms, when his kris is wrested from his gory hand, he is quickly pinioned,

and

if

he does not die of his wounds he

is

tried

and

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

216

executed by the English or native laws. For in such a case the man has become far more dangerous than the fiercest tiger that could haunt the jungle, and by all

verdicts his fate is sealed.

Some

"

years ago at an

amok "

in Singapore, the

Malay was pursued to, and took refuge in, the canal, where, as he would not surrender, he was fired upon while cunningly diving to avoid the shots, and some time before he was wounded and secured. If,

however, the

madman can force

who hem him

his

it

was

way through

he

may

runner

is

a violent death,

trial.

Various

possibly continue and escape to the jungle, as in the case of Sultan Yusuf s son ; but, generally speaking, the

the people his course

fate

of the

Amok

being reserved for

in,

few

have been the

There have not opinions given upon this subject. been wanting writers who have attributed the custom

opium and its effects upon the system ; but there can be no doubt that the Amok had its that origin in the deed of some desperate Malay to the use of

;

tradition cessors,

handed

it

down

to his highly-sensitive suc-

and the example was followed and continues

to be followed as the right thing to do, by those who are excited to frenzy by apprehension, or some injury

that they regard as deadly, and to be washed out in In fact, Newbold says that he has seen letters blood. in which, alluding to the desire to revenge an insult, " I Malays make use of the following expression :

ardently long for his blood to clean

my

face blackened

AN AMOK.

217

with charcoal;" or, "to wash out the pollution of the hog's flesh with which he has smeared me." In these last words

we have thoroughly the

feeling

expressed, and his deadly hatred to the pollution of a touch from the flesh of the pig a pollution that was often made the excuse for the

of the

Mussulman

terrible rising in India,

where

it

that the cartridges the natives greased with the fat of the hog.

was spread abroad had to use were

CHAPTER XX. Ideas of Creation Superstitions Propitiatory offerings version to Islamism Malay conversion Pilgrimages

Con-

The

Mosque.

IN a people of so highly nervous a temperament, and of so morbid a disposition, it is not surprising that be strongly mingled with their For instance, they have a thorough and this in the efficacy of charms and amulets

superstition should religious tenets. belief

;

not only seen amongst the lower orders, but exists even in the chiefs. Rajah Abbas, who suffered from that loathsome disease elephantiasis, had recourse to

is

charms

for its cure.

Amulets

in the shape of written

words are often worn, or even placed about a house. But a very favourite charm or preventive of disease the tiger-claw, which the Malay is very fond of wearing -very sensibly too if he looked upon it as is

from these

fierce beasts,

-and the practice of wearing the claws

became uni-

for the prevention of injury

and study the stars, so as to obtain a propitious day for some adventure or plan and from their connection with the Indians versal.

They examine ;

horoscopes,

PROPITIATORY OFFERINGS. they have doubtless acquired their

belief

the

in

orders of celestial beings. of their beliefs approach the superstitions of

existence of

Some

219

many

the lowest savages in the scale and it is a constant matter to find them making offerings to some spirit ;

or another

by way

of propitiation.

When

a Euro-

pean wishes to penetrate some unexplored portion of mountain or jungle, he is met with opposition, for simple-minded native sees the horrible in the unknown and the would-be explorer is begged not

the

;

to enter the

domains held by

evil spirits,

who may some way

withhold rain, send storms or diseases, or in show their displeasure at the sanctity of their homes being invaded.

So dangerous are these

spirits of

the

woods considered, that in the jungle campongs, high

up amongst the trees, prepared, and hung up

pieces of

in a

way

wood

are carefully

that causes

them

to

give forth plaintive musical sounds, similar to those of an ^Eolian harp, or the stretched wires of the electric

when

the wind blows through them the traveller often being startled by the mournful notes.

telegraph

These are supposed to keep

them

leave the

campong

the goblins, and dwellers in peace. off

make

Mines have always been supposed in Europe to hold their special spirit or demon from the earliest but

seems singular that the superstition should exist in such an out-of-the-way part of the

times,

it

world as Perak.

who make

And

yet

it is

so with the tin-miners,

offerings to propitiate the

good

spirit

who

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

220

Mr. Daly gives an interesting account of

presides.

this propitiation of spirits in his late journey

down

the Perak river, where, before the passage of the dangerous rapid, Jeram Pangang, at the entrance to

which

is a

" by the Malays Berala means "the idol to be propi-

large boulder, called

Bujok," which literally

tiated/' everyone is expected to

make an

and

offering

ask permission to pass. Upon the occasion in question the pilot stood up and made a speech to the rock,

asking for leave to go down the rapid in safety, as there was a white man on board, and if anything happened to him it would be the cause of much This being ended, bananas

trouble to the people.

and

betel-nuts, combined with a biscuit, supposed to be the w hite man's offering, were thrown upon the r

and then the passage was commenced. The idol upon this occasion must have been

rock,

satisfied

with the value or extent of the offerings

dis;

for

bamboo raft upon which the traveller was journeying came to the worst part it telescoped, the great bamboos snapped like matches from the force of This the water, and went floating down the stream.

when

the

rapid tell a

is

a source of great terror to the natives, who number of stories concerning the mishaps that

have occurred there

;

and when joked about them

in this instance, replied in all seriousness that Berala Bujok was angry at the offer of the biscuit, and

because a white

The

man had

descended the

river.

objects held in reverence are innumerable

:

SUPERSTITIONS. the

the

tiger,

cow,

the

221

monkey, and

even

the

waringhan-tree, are all revered or feared, as the case may be. There are demons who utter cries in the woods and haunt burial-grounds ; spirits who can be domesticated, and if fed with their owner's blood

can be utilised for purposes of revenge demon huntsmen, who have their own dogs witches, who leave their human bodies by night to feast on the above ;

;

sanguinary diet and spirits of the storms and winds ; and one Rajah is stated to have krissed a woman with ;

own hand, and without

a word of inquiry, for of and being suspected creating, having in her possession, a "Pulong," a name that the Malays give to a his

horrible phantasy of theirs, a sort of "bottle-imp/'

which they believe can be let loose and made to take demoniacal possession of the enemies of its creator.

The doctrine of metempsychosis has obtained some hold upon the Malays, who consequently hesitate to slay the tiger, lest his body should be the tenement little

of

some human

being.

In

fact,

they believe that,

after the fashion of the wehr-wolf of

German romance,

certain people have the

power of occupying the body of the tiger by night, and transforming themselves at So great is considered the power and intelpleasure. ligence of this beast, that the

mention befall

its

him

;

name and

if

Malay

will reluctantly

the jungle, lest evil should asked if a tiger is nigh, will proin

bably give his answer in the faintest whisper, and with trembling voice.

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

222

Their little observances for the procuring of good luck are many, and extend even to the most trivial acts for instance, a betel-chewer will almost inva:

riably spit to the left

combined with

;

and

this superstitious feeling,

something to do with the reluctance of a Malay to repair an injured house in even when a he builds new one the old is left fact, idleness, has

standing. As a body, the Malays follow very strictly the

Islamism

and, whether they have performed the pilgrimage to Mecca or not, many keep regularly the Kamadhan but, as may be seen religion they profess

;

:

from the foregoing, they mix their religion up with the traditionary customs and superstitions this natu;

rally being chiefly amongst the poorer classes. One very favourite theory is that certain persons can render

themselves invulnerable through the agency of spirits. Several such instances have been mentioned in Perak, notably in the case of a man called Eajah Abbas, previously alluded to as trying to charm It

phantiasis.

is

related

of one

away

ele-

pretender to this

invulnerability, that an officer put him to the proof, and exposed the silly belief to the surrounding crowd by pricking the Achilles-like skin of the man's arm with the point of his sword. The invulnerable man's

was nearly followed by that of the officer for the pretender vowed revenge, and had to be kept at a distance to prevent him from making

blood flowed, and ;

a savage attack.

it

IDEAS OF CREATION. The ordinary

diseases

and epidemics

to be driven away, either

by

223

are supposed

conciliating the spirits

with offerings, or else by the practice of affixing cages and palm-leaves to trees in the neighbourhood of the

The ignorant seem always dwellings or campongs. to believe strongly in those yet more ignorant than

we have

the Malays attaching of the aborigreat faith to the supernatural powers and frequently to their knowledge of

themselves

;

hence

trusting Both in Perak, herbs and simples in cases of disease. and beyond our frontier in Malacca, the writer has known the people to have a great veneration for the

gines,

and Mr. Swettenham, who has^travelled much among them, and is well acquainted with Sakais, or Jacoons,

the habits of the Malays, says that in Him, a part of the country between Perak and Salangore, the common

people frequently consult

them and ask

their advice

on important matters. Those curious freaks of nature, Albinos, are found amongst the Malays and where they exist they are ;

looked upon by the people with a kind of superstitious awe. One of these men was seen by an English party at the village of

Kotah Lamah

;

and Newbold speaks

of one as having been in 1838 the chief of Jellabu, near Malacca. He was a descendant of a prince from

Menang Kabau, and was looked upon with the gretaest reverence by the superstitious Malays, on account of his having white or very light blue eyes hair.

and

jet black

Dr. Pickering, too, speaks of one having been

"SARONG" AND "KElS."

224

seen amongst the Malays in one of the islands of the Polynesian group but their occurrence is particularly :

rare.

Beliefs as to their origin are remarkably curious,

and the geographical notions of the common people are One is that the world is surrounded very strange.

by mountains, which they The following is the idea their own literature

call

by the name

of

"

Kaf."

of the Creation taken from

:

From the Supreme Being first emanated light towards chaos ; From the bosom this light diffusing itself became the vast ocean. The earth and sea of the waters thick vapour and foam ascended. were then formed each of seven

The

tiers.

surface of the water from east to west. steadfast the foundations of the world,

earth rested on the

God, in order to render

which vibrated tremulously

with the motion of the watery expanse, girt it round with an adamantine chain, viz. the stupendous mountains of Caucasus, the

wondrous region of genii and

aerial spirits.

Beyond

these limits is

spread out a vast plain, the sand and earth of which are of gold and musk, the stones rubies and emeralds, the vegetation of odoriferous flowers. From the range of Caucasus all the mountains .

.

.

of the earth have their origin as pillars, to support

and strengthen

the terrestrial framework.

With regard to the particular form of Islam embraced by the Malays, it will naturally be inferred, when it is remembered that their intercourse with the Arabs dates from a very early period, and was very extensive, while that with the Persians was narrowed in its limits to the meetings with

Engrah on the Persian that followed

them

Gulf, that they

by the Arabs

in trade at

would embrace

in the purest form

;

and

MALAY CONVERSION.

225

accordingly we find them to be chiefly belonging to the sect of Shafeites, with here and there, in Perak

and Quedah, Hanefites and Hunbalites, but also the orthodox sect, or Sonnites. The so-called sect of Ali met with amongst the Malays

; but they may not to the writer's exist, though knowledge. " to Yule's Marco Polo," a Malay chroAccording

is rarely

of

nicle

Acheen

Mahomedan king

dates

the

accession

1205

;

and

first

the nearest point of in the year answering to

this is the earliest conversion

the Malays on record. ever,

the

of that state

Sumatra to India and Arabia A.D.

of

It is

among

extremely doubtful, how-

whether there were kings of Acheen in 1205,

or for

centuries

question whether or not.

after

:

and

it

is

therefore open to

this date applies to

any

real event

The dates of the conversion of the Malays to their present religion are variously given, however; but

who

is perhaps the best authority, follows the above idea, and puts the conversion pretty closely of the Acheenese at 1206 of our era, the Malacca

Crawfurd,

Malays at 1276, and the Javanese at 1478

;

while the

general conversion of the people of Celebes did not take place till the arrival of the Portuguese in their This progress of conversion midst, or about 1510.

took several centuries to accomplish, and was not effected by the Arabs in the same rapid way as that of the natives of Western and Central Asia for

the Malays were too

;

numerous and powerful

"SARONG" AND "KR18."

226

in those days to be

subdued and overcome by these

people.

The ultimate aim of every good Moslem is to make the pilgrimage to Mecca and accordingly ;

every year a very numerous concourse of Malays proceed from the various states of the peninsula on

When

this religious errand.

his

own country he

is

the pilgrim returns to privileged to wear the Arab

costume, and to be styled by his fellows Tuan haji. Unfortunately, however, the influence he now possesses

not always employed to benefit his fellow-countrymen, but often for intriguing to his own advantage, so

is

as to recoup himself and family for the outlay to which he has been put in his long and weary journey to the

A

very recent writer on these Malay hajis speaks of them as making the voyage "in order on their return to be ordained as priests, when they may west.

wear turbans, and

will

commence a

life

of idleness-

doing nothing, except, perhaps, inciting the populace to revolt or to

the

make amok, and

toil of their

living like leeches

on

fellow-men."

In Perak these people have been found to be at the root of every system of oppression ; and, if not the actual instigators of the assassination of the late Resident, they at least stimulated the worst characters in the place to open rebellion

;

and finding themselves

supported by the recognised chiefs of their religion, the rebels were the less punctilious in carrying out their lawless designs.

PILGRIMAGES.

227

must be owned, however, that the pilgrimage is and some years ago the ships in an arduous task made were in so terrible a conwas the which voyage It

;

from overcrowding, that the interference of our Government became a necessity. Now, however, the dition,

pilgrim in

is

make the voyage

able to

comparative comfort

;

and

it

across to

is

Jeddah

only when he

arrives in port that the real hardships of the journey

Some

commence.

of the pilgrims

hardships, but they of the fatalist ; and friends

and

meet death with the calm stoicism

when

relatives at

as a glorious one,

the news of a death reaches

home, the end

and using

which accepts it as contented and resigned.

sion

Amongst

succumb to these

is

looked upon

their proverbial expres-

inevitable,

they are at once

their religious practices the

Malays are

in the habit of indulging in relic- worship, which takes the form of a visit to the tomb of some revered person

on particular days of the

year.

They wear a kind

of

rosary of beads for telling, and are very particular about the month of fasting, which, like the Arab

Kamadhan, is in the ninth Mahomedan month of the So punctilious are they as Mahomedans, that year. it was only with difficulty that the writer could obtain their consent to sit for their photographs,

though

after

a time less objection was made. One Kajah, however, and one of the more civilised, absolutely refused. This

was the Eajah of Quedah. In their religious observances they are very parQ 2

"SARONG" AND "KKIS."

228

and

ticular,

Malay

times

at the proper

at prayer is very

common

sight

of the

his carpet, or that

and the prosfollows with the seven members of the body

which answers the purpose, tration

;

the

is

spread,

which touch the ground namely, the forehead, the palms of the two hands, the knees, and the feet.

When

speaking of the Portuguese, or the people of mixed European and Malay blood, it is worthy of note that they call them Ncisarini, the origin being most probably the old term Nazarene. It will not be out of place here, in the face of late

discussions

by

on the

belief in,

the Moslems of the East

and implied support given to,

the Sultan of Turkey,

to say that, though the Malays believe in Istamboul, or Eoum, as the centre of their faith, and look upon

the Sultan as the

chief

temporal sovereign,

Constantinople as the principal seat of

government, they are very

may happen is

to

them the Holy

by Arab

teachers,

practice of faith

;

by what that country. Mecca

little

in the fortunes of

with

Mahomedan

influenced

and the Koran, as expounded supplies them with their rule and City,

and, come what

may

in the future,

they are never likely to be moved to any religious war against the Christians on account of the neglect by us of the welfare of Turkey, in leaving her to pursue her

own

line of policy in opposition to the

propositions of the great Powers of Europe. When a village or campong grows to that

is

any

to say increases to over forty houses

size it is

THE MOSQUE. considered to officers,

and

be of sufficient importance to need the religious welfare of the place is

better provided

how

229

for.

It

will

be seen from these

points deserving of the title of savages the Malays are, and how misinformed are they who little

have been in the habit of looking upon them as merely a bloodthirsty set of pirates, infesting a marshy coast. When, as above stated, the village has so increased,

the usual Malay officers are selected. These include the Punghulu, or head-man ; the Mata-mata, a kind of policeman

A

mosque

;

is

and a Billed and Khateeb, or preacher. also formally built and instituted, and

the welfare of the people properly cared for.

is

then considered to be

In the engraving giving the general aspect of a Malay village on a river -bank, the mosque will be seen occupying a central position. In this case the building was carefully finished, the finial of the roof

being one solid mass of coral-rock elaborately cut. As funds flow in, improvements are made ; one of the

most important being a large tank, kept

filled

built of masonry,

with water, to enable the faithful to per-

form the proper legal and religious ablution before On the outer verandah entering the house of prayer. of the

mosque a

drum

large instrument

somewhat resem-

placed ; and this is struck by the muezzin, and gives out sonorous tones at the appointed time of prayer, both before and after he gives the

bling a

customary

is

call to

the faithful to attend.

This

drum

"SARONG" AND

230

is

a hollowed cone of wood,

stretched

over

it

a head

Where a minaret has been a gong in

is

"KRIS."

made sonorous by having formed erected,

of

as in Malacca,

used in place of the drum, but

common

use.

buffalo-hide.

this latter is

CHAPTER Religious ceremonies feasts

Sacrifices

Funerals

XXI.

Teeth

Salutation

Marriage

filing

Polygamy

The

Wedding

kris.

THE

children of the Malays are received into the world quite in religious form, prayer being said, and

the Azan, or Allah Akbar, pronounced by the father On the with his lips to the tender infant's ear.

seventh day the head religious ceremony,

shaved

is

common

;

and

to all

later

on the old

Mahomedans and

the Jews from the time of Abraham,

is

performed.

The children have a name bestowed upon them their birth, but this is allowed to lapse their regular

name

is

given.

when

later

at

on

Allusion to their edu-

cational instruction has already been made. It is at their religious ceremonies, such as births

and weddings, that the particular

must

buffaloes are sacrificed;

feasts,

as with

be, according to

disease

;

its

fore

and

at

the Jews, the animal " without blemish or

Newbold, and hind leg bones must not be

broken after death, nor the spine neither are the horns to be used for common purposes." The animal ;

to be sacrificed is

bound

as to its legs,

thrown down,

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

232

head fastened, water

its

is

priest after prayer divides the windpipe

with a

sacrificial knife.

it,

and the

and

arteries

poured upon

The animal

is

next skinned,

and divided into two portions one of which goes tothe people, and is cooked and eaten on the spot the other part is divided between the punghulu and :

;

priests.

Marriage amongst the wild tribes

is

a very simple

a case of exchange and barter; for the enamoured youth has to make his arrangements with his intended's father, and give him what affair

is is

in fact,

it

is

considered an equivalent for the lady's worth ; that to say a small quantity, of tobacco, some cotton

such as a sarong, and a knife. the lady becomes the donor's wife.

That

stuff,

far

;

and

But the

affair

civilised

Malays,

the event with a considerable

amount

more ceremonious amongst the

who surround

is all

is.

of formula.

The engagement

is

friends of the parties.

generally settled by the lady Then the friends of the bride-

groom have to wait upon the bride's father and make presents. The bride's marriage-portion is talked over; the marriage expenses are paid and the portion, a ;

sum

in accordance with the position of the parties,

is-

Just previous to this the bride-elect has to go through the ceremony of having her teeth filed a arranged.

:

most unpleasant operation, which

woman

while the patient reclines. ceremony, for the teeth are cut

is

performed by a It is no simple

down perhaps

a,

MARRIAGE. and the

fourth,

effect is to

and painful for days. maiden she

for the

:

chewing the

sirih

render the

But there is

233

now

is

gums swollen

this satisfaction

allowed to commence

and her teeth soon become

leaf,

blackened, and to a European eye repulsive, though it This is considered a beauty with her own people.

blackening of the teeth is aided by the use of a liquid which is obtained from the shell of the cocoa-nut,

prepared by

fire

The hair

in a peculiar way.

also

comes in for a certain amount of

preparation, being cut off short on the forehead, somewhat after the fashion that has of late been popular in

Henna

applied to dye the palms, and also to the nails of the hands and feet ; and then matters

England.

is

supposed to be sufficiently progressed for the But it must be approaching marriage ceremony.

are

premised that probably the gentleman has never yet seen the lady ; and very likely he will have to take her without a sight first of often the case ; and at the marriage

veiled, in the Eastern fashion,

her

face.

This

is

the lady, on being unveiled, prove to be feast, very plain, the bridegroom is bantered and laughed at if

unmercifully.

There

are,

made

to

the native

of

however, certain concessions

when engaged. Hindostan, who is allowed

the lover

As with

to taste rice that has

been

placed to the lips of his intended, so with the Malay. He is permitted to chew a piece of betel that has been tasted

by

his inamorata

;

and the young gallant

feasts

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

234

on the delight of knowing that the

lips of his

have touched the betel he masticates.

If,

lady

after the

ceremony has been performed in accordance with the rites of the Mahomedan religion, the wife is considered to be of sufficient age that is to say, fourteen the husband is allowed to take her home. or fifteen

But

as very frequently these betrothals

and weddings

take place when the contracting parties are very young, a young wife will sometimes be for years at

her father's house before she goes to one of her own. In fact, it is no uncommon thing, says one observer of the Malays, to see little girls running about one year in the extremely light clothing of childhood, and to

them married women and mothers the next. For life is rapid in these hot climes, and growth in pro-

see

portion

;

while,

on the other hand, the woman

is

an aged wrinkled crone by the time she is forty though, as has been stated, cases of extreme old age ;

are not

unknown.

According to the means of those wedded, the cere-

mony is accompanied by more or less showy proceedings. Both

parties are liberally decorated with jewellery,

and gay

the wedding paraphernalia being to a great extent a kind of family heirloom, like the plate of an English house, and having to do

flowers,

attire

;

duty again and again. The bride set up at the end of the house in

is,

when

state,

dressed,

and holds a

kind of drawing-room, being visited by all her friends and relatives, in company with vast numbers of guests

WEDDING FEASTS. attracted

by the

235

After the wedding the

occasion.

young people are placed together in a seat of honour above the rest of the guests, when, amidst the feasting, the use of the sirih-box

and betel-chewing are

made prominent. Flowers are largely used music is introduced and the whole ceremony is made as much ;

;

a feast and time of rejoicing as amongst the civilised nations of the West.

At

these wedding feasts goats or buffaloes are killed for the feasting of as many as like to come

and partake

;

for a large

honourable to the

father

expenses of the wedding

is

wedding the

of

considered very To the bride.

however, large contributions are made by relatives, and even neighbours, who send rice and fruit. One end of the house is set feast,

apart on these occasions for the young women, who are screened from the other guests by curtains ; and this part of the building is made gay with cotton chintz,

cloth,

and choice mats.

As

for the

young

men, they engage in various sports and pastimes, among which ball and cock-fighting take their places ; sit and sagely discuss the doings of the neighbourhood, and probably canvass the various exactions of their chiefs.

while their elders

One

great peculiarity of the people is that they like these special events amongst themselves to be largely attended, especially if tract

;

forged,

for

it

be a matter of con-

they argue that written deeds

destroyed, or altered,

may

be

"but the memory of

"82MONQ" AND

236

what

is

presence of a thousand

transacted in the

witnesses

must remain

"KRIS."

sacred."

In the marriage agreement

made

stipulation is

that

of

all effects

the Malay the

and savings are to

be equally the property of both, and in case of divorce all is to be equally divided; but if the man is the party

who

upon the the woman, and insists

divorce, he gives half the

forfeits the sum paid as the marriage-portion or purchase. If, on the other hand, it is the woman who claims to be divorced,

effects to

addat

she makes effects,

the

and can only take her personal and the husband may require from the relatives forfeit,

sum paid

as addat, but this

The ceremonies

is

rarely demanded.

at death are of a far

more simple

The deceased is washed and shrouded in cotton cloth, and partly clothed in the garments of life, and then placed upon a bier formed of a couple character.

of planks, which, with the regular ceremonies of the Mahomedan faith, is borne to the place of sepulture.

The graves

are

dug

in

accordance with a certain

custom which has obtained amongst them; and, so far from being dependent on circumstances, are invariably of the

continues his surface.

But

same depth that work until his ear it is

not a simple

is is

to say, the digger on a level with the

fosse, as

with us

;

for

dug in the side, of the This side necessary length, and about two feet high. a kind of niche or cavity

is

chamber, so to speak, is intended for the reception of the corpse, which, on being lowered down, is there

POLYGAZIY.

and

237

then shut in by means of the two boards that formed the bier. The placed

of course, coffinless

is

thus enclosed in a rude earthen tomb, and the earth is thrown in gently, at first, till on a level

body

is

with the top of the boards, and afterwards filled up in the ordinary manner. Offerings to the dead, in the shape of spices and flowers, are made afterwards at

and stones or wooden posts are put up at the head and foot of the graves while, in accordance with old usage, the Malays plant at times the chumintervals,

;

paka and sulasih. To return for a moment

to their marriage customs

:

the Malays are on the whole a moral people ; and though by the Mahomedan religion a man is allowed

he can support them, it is rare for a Malay to adopt this custom, which, with concubinage, is the practice of the more riotous chiefs. to

marry four wives

The

who

if

ordinary native is a simple courteous being, joins with an intense love of liberty a great

home and

belongings ; and is ever ready to greet his fellow in the peculiar manner adopted in the country, where the newcomer affection for his simple

its

or visitor approaches his host, or the man he wishes to salute, with hands joined as if in supplication, while the other touches them lightly with his own on either side,

and afterwards

or forehead.

raises his

hands to

his lips

The custom of nose-rubbing has been

attributed to the Malays in their greetings, but

never been seen by the writer.

it

has

CHAPTEE The

kris

:

of state

XXII.

Damasking The execution The klawang The parang Lance

Sizes

Blowpipes

Poisoned

arrows

Firearms

The sword Spear of state Matchlocks Lelahs kris

Stockades.

HARDLY any weapon

has attained to so evil a noto-

It has been accredited riety as the kris of the Malay. with being deadly, fatally poisonous, and used upon the most trivial occasions by its owner. In fact, there

have been writers who have made the Malay out to be worse than the swaggering followers of the Japanese chieftains, whose great delight is said to be to try the

temper of their keen blades upon anything or any person they meet and have accused them of plunging ;

a

new

effect,

kris into the

body of the

while the lookers-on

wound. Now, that the kris at once admitted, and that cannot be denied

;

is

comer to see

its

curiously examined the a deadly weapon must be

its

but when

first

use

it is

too frequent taken into considerais far

tion that in Perak every

Malay wears a

his dress, "and that he is

by nature quick

kris as part of

to resent an

not be thought surprising that wounds In fact, such are frequently given and deaths result. insult, it will

occurrences were only too frequent in our

own land

TEE when

KRIS.

239

was the custom

for every gentleman to carry not so a sword ; very long since, according to our code of honour, it was considered necessary for it

and

it is

an insult to be washed out in blood.

Fairly speaking,

with the kris always ready to their hand, the wonder is that it is not more frequently used amongst the

Malays than proves to be the

In our Settle-

case.

people are not permitted to wear either the kris or any other weapon under the

ments,

the

however,

penalty of a

fine.

There are exceptions, though, to

this police regulation in the special permission given

to followers of the

Maharajah of Johore and some

other important chiefs.

The great

sin with

which the

kris is accredited

Europeans is that it is poisonous may be cases where a kris has had

;

by

but though there its blade smeared

with some virulent concoction, these are decidedly the exceptions, for the rule is that the blade is not poisoned

;

and when

on various occasions, while

examining the weapon, the writer has alluded to the care necessary with so deadly an instrument, the

Malay has In

fact, it

ridiculed the idea of its being envenomed. seems reasonable that this is not the case ;

with a vegetable poison, as it would the effect would only be transitory, from probably be, the action of the atmosphere destroying the deadly for if prepared

nature of the preparation, which would have to be constantly renewed ; while a Malay himself will say,,

Why

should

it

be poisoned when

it

will

make

so

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

240

fatal a

wound without

There

?

is

great force in this

argument, for from its wavy flame-shaped blade, the kris, with its double edge, divides the flesh in a last

wound being enormous weapon and when it is

cut in a terrible manner, the as produced

by

so small a

;

used with the knowledge gained by experience, as in executions, a thrust seems to be almost instantaneously

To

fatal.

wide a notoriety has

so

attained,

that

it

will

be only

to give

fair

then

blade

this

it

the

precedence before firearms in describing the weapons As intimated, it is worn by all from of the Malay. the golo, a kris made of very inferior iron, carried by the poorest Malay, to

mented with

the

gold, ivory,

elaborate

weapon orna-

and precious stones one Lombok, ;

of which, as seen in the sarong of a chief in

was, from

diamond

its

setting,

valued at seven hun-

A

chief will frequently wear two or dred pounds. even more of these weapons.

The

spelling

often been

a

and pronunciation of

difficulty

name have

this

with Europeans

:

the Por-

according to De la Loubere, calling it "christ," from the Malayan "crid," of which the

tuguese,

day came from Acheen. Crawfurd, the distinguished writer on Malay questions, thinks it best in his

is

an abbreviation of the word

that

it

took

its rise

karis, a

in the scarcity

dagger

;

and

and dearness of

iron, which, unless imported, must have been rarer and dearer than gold itself. " It is not to be sup-

SIZE OF KRIS. posed," he says, that the Indian

"

without

Islanders,

a

241

cause

so

adequate,

any more than semi-

acquainted with the use of iron, could have neglected the useful and formidable sword for barbarians

the

trifling

and

dagger ; and that the continued the use of their

ineffectual

Indian Islanders have favourite

after the cause has in great

weapon

measure

ceased to operate needs not explanation to those who are aware of the obstinate adherence of barbarians to

and custom, particularly in matters where national pride and vanity are engaged."

ancient habit

The blade

of the

kris varies in

Malay

one inch to one and a

half,

width from

and in length from

four-

teen to eighteen inches. It is of various forms, according to the taste or station of the wearer, and is formed straight,

slightly curved

throughout from

at

the apex, and waving

point ; sometimes with two or three curves, often with ten or a dozen. It is invahilt to

riably two-edged, finer blades

and very keen and many of the and damascened in a very ;

are veined

beautiful manner, having a dull dead silvery appearance for burnished steel finds no favour with these people.

In the more ancient kinds

it is

no unusual

thing to find the blade veined with gold or silver,

which adds greatly to the beauty of the weapon. In fact, the maker of krises is looked upon by the Malays as a person of importance, just as the armourer was in ancient days with us ; and his blades are considered, as he fashions

them

of various designs,

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

242

This veining or watering a kris great works of art. the called is by Malays pamur, and its mode of

admirably given by Mr. Newbold, who, Straits of Malacca," dwells at some length on

execution "

in his

is

the method of damasking krises, a process which it has not been the writer's good fortune to witness. doubtless obtained from the Malays themselves, and runs as follows

The

recipe

is

:

Place on the blade a mixture of boiled rice, sulphur, and salt, beat together, first taking the precaution of covering the edges of the weapon with a thin coat of virgin wax. After this has remained

on seven days the damask will have risen to the surface. Take the composition off, and immerse the blade in the water of a young cocoa-nut, or the juice of a pine-apple, for seven days longer, and it well with the juice of a sour lemon. After the rust has been cleared away, rub it with arsenic (warangan) dissolved in lime-juice, wash it well with spring-water, dry, and anoint with

brush

cocoa-nut

The

oil.

iron of which the blades

composed is a mixture obtained from Celebes and Java, which is blended with

steel,

and beaten up

is

so that, as in our

best gun-barrels, the welded metal shows a distinct grain, upon which the various artists pride themselves an immense amount of care and industry greatly

being bestowed upon this work, as there is also upon the handles, which, from their peculiar curve, seem to

a European very unsuitable for grasping in the hand. But when it is taken into consideration that they are held dagger- wise, it will be seen that a good grip can be taken, and the weapon used with deadly

effect.

THE EXECUTION

KRIS.

243

These handles are made of either gold, ivory, ebony, or the

horn

;

kamooning wood, and occasionally of buffaloand in either case they are carved and polished

with great taste, but generally with scrupulous attention to the customs of their ancestors. a great deal of the manufacture of these weapons has been done by the Chinese, who are not only good smiths, but clever artificers in adorning and

Of

late,

These perfecting their work, especially the sheaths. the samlatter are composed of three distinct parts piran, which is the ornamental part of the hilt ; the :

main sheath or envelope of the blade, which, like the garment, is called sarong and the buntul, or ferrule, ;

The sheath

mostly of wood, with ornaments of ivory, hard-wood, or gold, to form the ferrule but in the case of valuable weapons it is at the end.

is

;

formed wholly of gold while gold, brass, or an alloy of the two metals, is used to form the ornament to ;

the handle.

The

kris is the instrument of execution,

belonging to the Sultan of Salangore, which

and one is

used

upon these occasions, is made with a straight narrow The Malays blade, and with a sheath of pure gold. are exceedingly punctilious in the shape, size, and general formation

of their kris,

due perfection with superstitious

and look upon its awe for to certain ;

weapons they attach as much importance as to the Different forms of Excalibur of ancient chivalry.' clamask produce

different

effects.

With one kind E 2

"SARONG" AND "KKIS."

244

the owner of such a kris cannot be overcome

;

others

are generally auspicious ; another gives luck to its wearer when trading or voyaging and, generally, the ;

weapon does not depend on its costly ornamentation, but upon the accuracy of proportion in its value of the

while a kris that has frequently shed blood There is a greatly increased in superstitious value.

blade is

;

reverse

to

this,

however

;

for

where one of these

weapons does not answer to certain proportions in its measurement with a piece of string, which is doubled or folded in three according to a very puerile formula, it is denounced as unlucky for the wearer not for him are,

who

however,

receives its stab.

many

The

superstitions

in connection with this blade.

has been an heirloom, or presented by some superior, it is proportionately esteemed ; and no If it

higher qualities could have been attached to any of the celebrated blades of romance than is paid to this, the peculiar weapon of greater

reverence

or

the Malay. The best krises are

made by the Bugis, or at the ancient seat of the Malay power in Sumatra, already referred to as Menang Kabau but their manufacture is common in many of the native states, though the ;

quality of the metal and the temper of the blade is not considered to be so good. The kris is held in far higher esteem than the

and these various points of estimation, as enumerated, are mentioned by several of the olden

lance,

SWORD OF STATE.

245

by the Malays in fact, these peculiarities are very prominent, and are readily observed, having been handed down from visitors to the countries inhabited

generation to

young

as

generation, part of their

;

and impressed upon the Considered an

^.ucation.

almost indispensable article of his dress, the Malay always wears his kris on the left side, where it is held up by the twisting of the sarong, with which during an interview it is considered respectful to conceal the its If,

weapon; and

its

handle

is

turned with

point close to the body if the wearer is friendly. however, there is ill blood existing, and the wearer

be angry, the kris is exposed, and the point of the To refer once more handle turned the reverse way. to the question of poisoning the blade, this has

come

to the

knowledge of the

no instance of writer, either

in Perak or the other states of the peninsula.

The sword is also held in much veneration. It is, and purposes, an ornament, being seldom worn or used in war, but taking its place amongst the to all intents

various objects forming the regalia of a native state ; and on state occasions it is always carried by a faithful

and

or chief,

special attendant

who

is

upon the

sultan, rajah,

styled the Buntara, or sword-bearer.

His care of the sword

is

excessive,

and when he

rests

anywhere it is only upon his right shoulder, with the hilt uppermost, and not there till he has first placed for it to rest upon a handkerchief or cloth kept

it

for the purpose.

Kespect for the weapon demands

"SAEONG" AND "KRIS."

246

that this shall invariably be done ; and in the illustration representing Sultan Abdullah and his chiefs, these points will be seen rigorously attended to by the various buntaras who carry the swords or weapons of state.

richly,

These frequently have the hilts jewelled very and the scabbards covered with the royal yellow

in silk or velvet

with

its

chief

is

;

and the custom of sending the sword

bearer as an ambassador in advance of the

not uncommon.

In

fact, if

the buntara carries

the Eajah's sword to a house where, as is elsewhere referred to, there is a maiden the chief desires, it is

and the

command

obeyed. This custom of sending the sword in advance has been more than once adopted by European officials in the sufficient,

peninsula,

superior's

who have been

is

well acquainted with the

and who probably considered that this acceptance of their forms would be agreeable but whether appreciated by the Malays is quite habits of the people,

;

The sword seems to be associated by more with their idea of antiquity, and its

another matter. these people

use

is

tinged with religion. It

our own

a weapon of form, like swords of state and those placed behind the is

judges ; and the Malay's veneration for it is probably derived from the respect which they found the Arabs to possess for the sword as handed down to them by

Mahomet. Greeks

is

There

and

this,

In called is

a Mahomedan conqueror of the them one of the Swords of God. by

fact,

a sword of state in the regalia of Perak

with other

articles

composing

it,

;.

including

SWOED OF

STATE.

247

no fewer than twenty of the choicest elephants of the country elephants being a part of the regalia was carried off his flight

the

" by Sultan Ismail during the little war," in from Blanja and Kinta, when startled by

Malays

under

Mahmood

Eajah

forming

the

advance-guard of our troops. The Malays related to us an incident concerning this sword which is worthy of repetition, as it shows the great respect paid by the people to this weapon. During his flight Ismail was at a place in the jungle called

Campong Kampayan, and

in his distress he

sent for his chief punghulu, or native chief, who, probably seeing the hopeless state of the country after the murder of Mr. Birch, and concluding that his master's

chance was irretrievably gone,

refused

to

learning this, Ismail drew this sword from the scabbard, and planting it in the ground, " thus addressed it If you are, as I believe, the

come.

Upon

:

invulnerable pillar of the state, I shall yet return to my country." Then reverently replacing the sword in

its

fled

scabbard, he hastily

mounted

his elephant,

and

with his wives to Chumoh.

According to Newbold, the Malays consider the sword to have prior claims to antiquity to the spear, and it is said to be found sculptured on ancient temples and tombs in Java

weapon

of legendary lore

ployed to

kill

Menang Kabau

is

;

while one celebrated

said to have been

em-

an enormous serpent, which ravaged in the twelfth century.

Amongst the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

248

other swords found amongst the Malays there is the Jclawang, a long heavy blade, with a peculiarly-shaped buffalo-horn handle, the blade increasing in width to

nearly the point, somewhat after the representations of the old scimitar of the artist, but in this case the

blade

is

straight

;

and there

is

also

the naga, or

dragon-headed sword, a somewhat similar weapon to the last, only that its buffalo-horn hilt is carved into the Malayan idea of a dragon, the same as the prows It is richly ornamented with of their dragon-boats.

and borne by the attendants as previously The weapon worn by Sultan Abdullah in described. silver,

the engraving, it should be mentioned, is probably of European manufacture, and goes with his uniform,

both being extra Malay in every point.

A

knife

is

invariably carried at the waist

lower-class Malay, or he

common regular

kris

known

cutting

which

instead the

little

but the peasant's one which serves the

as a golo

instrument,

purpose of both knife

sword

may have

by the

;

and weapon,

is

the parang,

he wears slung at his left side like a short ;

and the dexterous way in which

in cutting a

way through

the jungle

this is is

used

often the

It is so well weighted admiration of the European. a very slight effort is that and balanced at the point, needed to cut through the brushwood of the forest^

They have

also a

sword with a thin blade, which

being of a finely-tempered steel, is capable of taking a remarkably good edge. The Malays are very dex-

THE LIMBING.

249

terous in its use, and perform one feat with it of which they are as proud as the horseman is of his The Malay tent-pegging on the plains of India. places a plantain-stem

loosely

then, without suffering it to

again, slicing directly series of right

rapidity and

The

and

on the ground, and divides

fall,

again and

it

through the stem by means of a

left cuts,

delivered with admirable

effect.

weapons of the Malays were, after of their own opinions, most probably

earliest

clubs, in spite

the forest would yield an inexwhich haustible supply in the shape of bamboos were hardened at the ends with fire, and then brought spears,

of which

;

to a point,

and used

still

in connection with a

wooden

At

the present time the spear is a favourite weapon and in his attacks upon his

shield or buckler.

;

enemies the Malay places great faith in qualities.

It is called a limbing,

used with great

effect as

and

a lance, but

its

is

when

deadly not only driven to

Malay hurls it like a javelin with almost unerring aim. The shaft is from five to seven feet in length, and is usually made of a hard red wood but, unlike that of the ancient Malays, its desperation the

;

head

an

of fine steel, dagger-shaped, and sharpened to edge equal to that of a razor. The men of Perak is

are particularly expert in the use of this weapon, as

we lost during the little war at the piratical village of Kotah Lamah, had only too accurate and painful evidence for the thrower was

many

of us, in view of those

;

"SARONG" AND

250

often unseen, while the spear its velocity,

and

inflicted a

came

wound

like

an arrow in

nearly as deadly as

a bayonet- thrust.

Another spear or lance used by these people is known as the torribak bandrang, and this is more a Like the spear carried by the Bugis, it is largely ornamented with hair, dyed red or black and this flows down from the upper part of the spear of state.

;

These have their special bearers, and are The carried before the chiefs on state occasions.

handle.

as

was

also

was

known, but very little used, the case with the bow; but both these

sling, it seems,

also

weapons seem to have been considered of

light value

even before the introduction of firearms. Probably this was due to the expert use made of the sumpitan, or blow-pipe, which in some cases the shaft of a spear as well.

was made to

act as

These blow-pipes are especially in use amongst the Sakais,

who

also carry the

parang and a long-shafted

A small

quiver of bamboo contains the arrows, and these are decidedly of two kinds the poisoned spear.

and non-poisonous. Some of these slender darts are sent with such swiftness from the long blow-pipe, which is frequently nine or ten feet in length, that for a considerable distance they are invisible,

aim

is

wonderful in

its

of course a narrow tube

precision. ;

and the

The sumpitan

while the arrow

is

is

about as

thick as a crowquill, eight inches long, and pointed, the other end being covered with down or pith to

POISONED ARROWS. make

it fit

the tube.

The

point, if

251

venomed,

is

coated

with the poisoning preparation for about an inch ; and where it ends the wood is cut, so that the point may easily break off in a wound.

The Sakais use different kinds of poison for these arrows, and prepare them with a great deal of the

mummery

of superstition

that the

so

;

concoction

somewhat resembles the work of

witchcraft. Ipoh, the used for ; tuba, plant poisoning fish, and which is apparently the cocculus indicus of our

or upas

druggists' shops;

and red

arsenic, or

warangan, are

amongst the primary articles used in their preparations,

mingled with others which probably only act

A

the part of vehicle. decoction is, however, in various forms over a charcoal fire, simmered to a syrup,

made down

and afterwards poured into bamboos

for

These various poisons are of a dark preservation. colour, and emit a strong narcotic odour, probably

from the opium added.

Their power, however, seems

to be evanescent, as they deteriorate

by keeping.

In experiments made before Lieutenant Newbold, a squirrel, after being shot, died in twelve minutes ;

young dogs in about

forty

;

a fowl in two hours,

though one lingered over seven. parations, however,

is

asserted

One of their preBenua to be so

by the

strong, that three arrows tipped with it will kill a

man

in less than an hour, and a tiger in three. The Malays must have been acquainted with

artillery

from very early times,

for

De

Barros, in

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

252

speaking of the taking of Malacca by the Portuguese in 1510, says that the guns were of great size, " but that they found no more than 3000 out of 8000, said to be by Ruy de Arajo" (a prisoner of Segueera's fleet), " in this city. Among them was one very beautiful piece,

Hindu

which the King of Calicut had lately sent a

called by the Portuguese, Zamosin." same writer, in giving an account the still, of an expedition sent by the Malays of Java against

And

prince,

later

Malacca, after its possession by the Portuguese, says that the force was provided with artillery made in Java. As to lighter pieces, matchlocks have also been

known

Malays since at least the middle of the fourteenth century, and the name they give them is to the

snapang, probably from the Dutch snap-pan, and from these they fire tin bullets, in which it is said

they frequently insert pieces of common earthenware This has not been observed by the writer ; or china.

but in some that were during the late rising, find a grain of rice.

fired against the expedition

it

was no uncommon thing to

Old-fashioned blunderbusses,

seem to have been in favour, several of which were seen in Kotah Lamah, which was a regular haunt

too,

of fighting men.

The matchlocks made

at

Menang Kabau

which

generations has been famous for its arms are the most in favour, but they are clumsy pieces, for

many

with stocks not

fit

holding the barrel, as they do while the gun itself is laid, on

literally for

the shoulder

;

LELAHS. account of

its

253

weight, in a rest, and the aim taken

lowering the piece

is

by They have made for hold-

very indifferent.

finely-worked locks of brass, which are ing the match of coir-rope ; but these pieces are natu-

when European guns can be obtained, and muskets and rifles are now not uncommon. Like

rally set aside

the handle of the naga, the natives are very fond of having their blunderbusses with mouths worked up into the form of the dragon's head

with some

skill.

As

;

and

this is

done

to the barrels, the native smiths,

with very indifferent tools, twist a bar of tough iron

round a barrel out,

rod,

weld

it

together,

and

after inserting the-

in the earth for steadiness, bore

and produce twisted

workmanship, though they

it

barrels of very fail

in the finer

smoothly

handsome mechanism

of the locks.

The heavy guns employed

in stockades are gene-

rally long pieces of brass called lelahs

;

they

are,

large

guns, but have a very small bore, and only carry a two or three pound iron shot. These are the guns that are used in the large praus in piratical expeditions, and their ordinary range is four or five

hundred

yards,,

though with elevation the distance can be much inIn these more peaceful times, when piracy creased. nearly extinct, they are kept for more harmless pura poses, one Eajah at the native state of Tringanu is

celebrated place for the manufacture of ordnance having four mounted on swivels upon the beach, where

they are used for firing

salutes.

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

254

Occasionally, however, heavier guns are purchased

Penang and Singapore, where they can easily be procured, and in this way some of the rajahs are posat

sessed of six-pounder iron guns

and carronades. These

iron guns they call miriams, derived probably, says " Crawfurd, from the name of Mary," as being known

from the Arabs, who had obtained them a derivation that might be from the Christians to

them

first

much

looked upon as of not

only for the

value,

peculiar instances that are met with again and again. The swivel is the favourite means of mounting their

guns, especially the smaller lelahs, which are found with bores as small as an inch in diameter ; and from these slugs are fired, as in the case of the matchlocks,

made

As may

be supposed, these bullets, from the lightness of the metal, have only a of tin.

readily

short range.

For the manufacture natives of Perak have a

of

their

gunpowder the

supply of nitre, or saltthe preparation of charcoal is very petre, in the state ; common ; and the sulphur has been probably obtained

from the Bugis

traders,

fair

who brought

it

from Java and

the Celebes, or such volcanic islands in the neighbour-

hood

as produced

it

in abundance.

nitre is easily procurable stone,

A good

deal of

from the caverns in the lime-

where the excreta of bats

lies to

a considerable

salt on preparation. As a depth, and gives forth this the art of manufacturing rule, the native gunpowder

which was probably learned from the Chinese

is

poor

STOCKADES.

in strength,

and coarse in grain

they prepare a finer

difficulty,

255

;

meet

but, to

sort,

which

is

this

retained

Cartridges purpose of priming their guns. are not unknown, but cane is substituted for paper, for the

and these of

seem to

resemble the

old

bandoleers

our musketeers of two or three hundred years

ago-

Taken

Malay has proved very slow at adopting the implements of war of more civilised nations, and though he possesses firearms in their altogether, the

the favourite weapons are still the limbing, or lance, and the kris, as shown by the native proceedings in the late war. various forms,

One the

of the principal features of their warfare

stockade, in the construction of which

is

defence

In fact, they are at their the Malays are very expert. best when fighting under cover a fact of which they are

wdl

in the

and hence the care that

aware,

woodland

fortifications.

is

taken

As an enemy they

to be dreaded

in the open, seldom a if ever venturing to make regular attack, except on defenceless men or parties on the line of comsingle are

very

little

munication, as they showed during the war, when the postal runners were frequently speared while going

with despatches from post to post. In making their stockades which the reader is aware consist of strong fences of

enemy

bamboo

they

or other material, to keep out an display great dexterity, both in the

selection of a suitable locality to place the fortification,

"SAKONG" AND "KElS."

256

and the choice and manipulation of the materials their command.

at

In Perak, excepting at Passir Sola, there were no stockades of any importance during the little war, probably because there was no real intention on the

elsewhere to forcibly resist the British authority, as there was in fact no ankatan, or or it may have been that the measures taken rising the

side of

chiefs

:

by the authorities, consequent upon the murder of Mr. Birch at this place, were too rapid to enable a slow-moving people to erect defences and prepare for war.

Hence

it

was that

all

the principal villages

which might have been provided with defence remained open to attack.

this

means of

In other parts of the peninsula, however, stockades of a very formidable nature existed, such as could not

be taken by a European force without the aid of the vertical fire of artillery. Among these were the defences erected

by the Malays

in the Terrachee valley These were well manned, and

in

Songhy Ujong. would probably have held out against us, had they not been taken by surprise and gallantly turned by Major Channer, V.C., and the force under Colonel Clay.

The

favourite positions for erecting these fortifica-

tions are often such as

would be chosen by a trained

European engineer, since natural strength is selected, and the protection afforded by defiles, hills, or a river or impassable

swamp.

In some cases the walls are

STOCKADES.

made

of

257

mud, in others of stout pieces of hard- wood

while a favourite plan is to drive two rows of stakes deeply into the soil, point their ends, and fill up the space between with mud and laid side

by

side,

Outside this thus forming a strong wall. an is fence or wall, a ditch average depth of dug of five feet, and a similar width, the earth being thrown stones,

when

not required inside the stockade to make platforms for the guns, or for filling up the outwards,

it is

spaces between the rows of stakes. One stockade at Sempang, Malacca, was different

form

;

in fact,

it

almost merited the

of

title

a

of a

It was built on a point of land military blockhouse. with the branch of a river flowing on either side, and

was capable of containing thirty or forty men. sides

The

were of stout planking, loopholed for musketry,

with trap-doors to let down like the portholes of a ship, in which guns were placed to command the river. The roof was the feeblest part, being merely attap; but

was

on posts in a deep trench, the earth of which was thrown up at the sides, and sloped so as to

it

form a

built

glacis right

up

to the loopholes

and embrasures

The entrance was by means of a ladder, which was afterwards drawn up within, effectually preventing further ingress, while the raised floor was perforated here and there, so as to enable the defenders of the guns.

enemy at a distance to the very last. was shown in a drawing sent to the

to keep their

The

interior

Graphic and published in November, 1875.

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

258

In the rear of

this building

were two more kooboos,

or stockades, so placed as to give a

right

and

left

of the

main

command

of fire

So cleverly was

defence.

the whole designed, that all pointed to the fact that the Malay who constructed the place had obtained

from Western nations, probably from what he had seen done by the British soldiery during

some of

his ideas

the Naning War of 1832 or he may have profited by the works of the Dutch and Portuguese engineers, ;

whose practice

was to build

whenever a factory These were or trading emporium was established. erected all over the peninsula, and the remains of

many

of

them

it

forts

exist to the present time.

The Malay

is

very ingenious in hampering the

advance of an enemy, or hindering him when in pursuit. One favourite instrument for this purpose is the ranjow, which

is

bamboo hardened

of various sizes, in

the

fire

and composed of

and sharply pointed.

These ranjows, or stakes, are stuck about in the long towards the coming enemy, grass, with their points

and

in their native wars cause terrible injuries to the

bare feet and legs of the people

;

and even with

European troops they are obstacles not to be despised In warfare a Malay in a march through the jungle. will carry a bundle of these

upon

his back, ready to

kinds are not unfreplant here and there, whilst larger placed about their stockades, which are often

quently provided with an ambush in the shape of extensive growths of maize or sugar-cane.

STOCKADES. Trees are often cut down, either to

259

fall

across a

track, or with their tops towards the

these form a serious

coming foe, and obstacle to the advance of troops

where the jungle is like an impenetrable wall on either This was done on the elephant-track to Kinta, side. near a place called Chankat Dungla, along which General Colborne and his forces successfully threaded their

their guns in the face of obstacles of For the people of Perak, in spite of the

way with

every kind.

frequent sounding of the gong for the signal to attack during the late war, proved themselves, probably from native jealousies, incapable of being organised, and led to perform a feat of any magnitude ; the injury to our forces being for the most part in surprises or attacks

upon the weak and unprepared.

s 2

CHAPTER Swimming

XXIII.

Games Ball-play Chess The national sport.

Music

Cock-fighting

:

ALLUSION has been made more than once to the love of bathing displayed as

by the Malays, but

swimmers has not been mentioned.

their

power

In this pursuit

they are very able, and as divers exhibit qualities of endurance that are surprising. One instance of their well worthy of note. It was in the case of a ship that had touched upon a coralreef and made a rent in the sheathing, when a Malay,

power

in this direction

is

being furnished with a sheet of copper suitable in size, and perforated with holes round the edge, dived down

with the piece, a hammer, and a nail, staying under water long enough to fit the copper in its place over the leak, and drive in one nail before coming to the surface, and then going down to drive in nail after nail

till

the plate was fixed, his movements being through the clear water.

perfectly visible

Tanks these,

are

favourite

bathing -places

amongst the higher

practice to erect a

room

classes,

it

for dressing

;

is

and a

over

common

and perfuming

MUSIC.

themselves

;

261

and excursions

in boats to bathing-places idea of a picnic, for they will make

form the Malay their journey, and then spend the day in bathing, dishes for dressing, and the preparation of delicious feasting, while the return

the

lilies

and

and lotus-plants

home from the trip amongst is made pleasant with music

Altogether, there is something very dreamy and delicious in these excursions, indulged in, as they are, in a soft climate, amidst the beautiful singing.

vegetation of the eastern land ; and it is to be regretted that all the Malayan peasants are not so innocent and idyllic.

They

are particularly fond of singing,

and often

engage in musical contests, displaying a good ear and In fact, the readily catching up European airs.

Maharajah of Johore has trained a band of young Malays to play on the regular brass and stringed instruments of our

own country, and

their rendering of operatic airs

anything but despicable, their performances being, indeed, quite equal to those of the bands of Siam, which have obtained some notoriety. is

Amongst

the native instruments the violin

favourite, but there is also a kind of guitar.

cussion instrument that stands is

the gong, which

and for

is

the

The per-

with the Malays

their beau ideal of martial music?

sounded as a signal of assembly or alarm, and

commencing a

have

is

first

is

fight in

also a kind of

war-prau or stockade.

wooden gong

of the trunk of a tree, a

or

portion of

bell,

which

They formed is

hoi-

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

262

lowed out and suspended from a framework. When this is struck with a mallet, the hollow boom is carried to great distances,

and the idea has been taken up and

used for signalling at our police stations in the SettleIn fact, the Malays have a very good idea of

ments.

the sonorous properties of wood, as evinced in the wooden instrument, with its sad, but not unpleasing

suspended in their trees, and also in a kind of harmonicon, formed of graduated pieces of hard-wood

wail,

or bamboo, ranged in a coffin-shaped box, and struck with a small hammer, having a pliable handle. The

mosque drum has been mentioned, but they have

also

one which they

and

call

tambour,

a

very familiar

evidently borrowed name, just as the term biola for the one-stringed violin must be of western origin.

Dancing is indulged in occasionally at festivals, where the young people meet, but strict watch is kept the while by the elder dames, for a Mahomedan does not approve of our western customs in this respect.

They have, however, professional dancing-girls, whose costume is made attractive with artificial flowers and a crown of tinsel and gilding these are, however, rare ;

in Perak.

The people

and the peninsula, though and lawn tennis, which will

of Perak

not players at cricket doubtless come with the spread of civilisation, have something in the shape of athletic sports, for the

young men display

of

will indulge in wrestling bouts

vigour.

They

with some

are very expert,

too,

in

GAMES.

263

which

tossing the raga, or wicker-ball,

is

thrown in

the air to one of the party, and the object then

keep

it

is

to

up, this being done with hands, feet, shoulders,

or knees, every part of the

body being brought

into

play to keep the elastic ball from falling to the ground. Their dexterity at times over this is wonderful, and

game forms a healthy, invigorating amusement, that might well come into fashion in England, in spite the

of it

its

resemblance to our

may by some is

football,

upon which

be considered as a refinement.

Sometimes at their war-dance

own

indulged

a kind of imitation

festivals in,

which has the drawback,

however, of the opposing parties

waxing warm with

and

exchanging the artificial for the genuine, getting up quite a real fight, and having to be withdrawn. The Malays of Province Wellesley, excitement,

who accompanied Mr. W. Maxwell, our Deputy-commissioner to Perak, gave us at his request some very amusing exhibitions of this kind. This was during the expedition to put down the rising ; and these Province Wellesley Malays, who have been for some time

under British

and

rule,

were most loyal in their behaviour,

some recognition of the action a recognition that it would not have been

certainly deserved

they took

bad policy

to give

them

in

some

way. For when under fire in

significant

they stood bravely by their officers a most cheerful and steady manner

;

and

it

must have

been very galling to their own countrymen and coreligionists in Perak to witness this, while it was a

u

264

82BONa" AND "KRIS."

remarkably trying test of their own faithfulness to their Christian masters.

games the Malays are not unaware of the amusement afforded by riddles and enigmas, some of which, as propounded by the more their quieter

Among

educated too

is

classes, are clever

and hard to

solve.

Chess

known, and played by them on what they

a plank with chequers. Their pieces are very similar to the European, and they give them the names of call

papun

chatoor

literally,

Eajah. Muntri, or Vizier.

King. Queen.

Gajah (Elephant).

Bishop.

Koodah

Knight.

(Hare).

Ter (Chariot).

Castle.

Beedah

Pawn.

(Foot-soldier).

The game they call gajah main gajah, " the game of elephant." Check is sah and mat, check-mate. This word main signifies to play or gamble, and is in the latter case used in conjunction with the word ;

This was originally main judi, to gamble with small shells, or judis, hence the term. Gambling is

judi.

one of the Malay's greatest failings, for a man will not only stake his all, but even his person, and, if married, his wife and children, becoming, as already intimated, the slaves of the more fortunate players. Dice and cards have been introduced by the Chinese, and but over these considerable sums (for them) are lost that it is with their more national games perhaps the :

COCK-FIGHTING.

For under the term

heaviest stakes are hazarded. national

may

be included the quail and cock fighting,

and

and the bull

265

tiger fight.

Cock-fighting especially is much practised by the inhabitants of Perak and other parts of the peninsula, though wisely interdicted in our own settlements. 1

Like

other

many

been

first

seems to have

it

Malay customs,

introduced from the island of Sumatra,

probably from

Menang Kabau, and has

gradually the over Archipelago, making its chief spread home in Manilla, where it is now recognised by the itself all

Government

known

though

there

till

it

is

said

not to have been

the arrival of the Malays to colonise

or trade.

So great is the love of this sport, that not only have poems eulogising it been written, but codes breeds of fighting-cocks. describing the laws and best

No

less

specific

more

than ten good kinds are mentioned under

and training is made the people than, according to amongst

names and

of

;

an

art

their breeding

own knowledge,

was some years since amongst the princes of Central India. The Malays frequently use the artificial spur of steel, called by them golok or taji. This is from an inch and a half to

the writer's

two inches in

it

inch in length, about one-eighth of an

breadth, sharpened on both sides, keenly pointed, and to the taste of the owner straight or curved according

one being generally used, but two bird against one that is stronger.

if

to

match a weak

This spur

is

tied

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

266

on the

leg,

made

Upon important

cockpit; and the losers, as

usual in most gaming

is

transactions, are often driven

and

or on the natural

occasions large bets are on the result of the contest in the golongan, or

itself.

spur

either above, below,

to

great desperation,

bitter feuds are consequently engendered.

Quails are often fought in the same way ; for these and several other varieties of birds can easily be trained to display their pugnacity in a battle with

a stranger-bird while even crickets are matched one the other, and fight with vigour. against ;

The

cock-fights are cruel in the extreme

;

for the

sharpened on a fine whetstone, and the gashes inflicted upon the unfortunate birds frequently result in death for the combatants are as daring as spurs are

;

own

But they are not dubbed and game-fowl. trimmed, as used to be the custom in our own more our

barbarous days, but fight in

full feather.

The grand national sport fight

;

but this

is

is

the tiger and buffalo

not very frequently indulged

in,

on

account of the great trouble and expense necessitated preparing a fitting enclosure, and also perhaps

in

from the

difficulty of obtaining suitable

animals to pit

one against the other in the contest. the occasion of the

Duke

of Edinburgh's of one these displays visit to the Straits Settlements, was prepared by a native prince and on the day

Upon

;

arranged the two beasts were placed in a strong enclosure made of stakes of the nibong-palm, tho-

THE NATIONAL SPORT.

267

roughly secured and strengthened with iron, so that In there was not the slightest risk to the lookers-on. the centre was a large curtain, which divided the and for a time the spectators buffalo from the tiger ;

had an opportunity of examining the peculiarities of The buffalo was a splendid creature of each animal. kind, fresh from roaming about in

native pastures, but it was heavy and dull-looking in the exThe tiger too was a magnificent animal, with treme. its

its

glossy coat and lithe graceful movements ; but it had the disadvantage of having been confined to its its

cage since

its

capture.

Upon a signal being given the two animals, which had been calmly observant of the crowd, were suddenly brought face to face by the quick withdrawal of the curtain, and then the change in each was remark-

The

able.

dull

and heavy

buffalo suddenly

assumed

an aspect of intense ferocity. The horns, usually pointed back, were thrown forward the thick strong ;

neck seemed to swell out size

till it

was twice

the body was curved into an arch

;

its ;

natural

the tail

and quite motionless, but watchful in the exThe tiger treme, the animal awaited the tiger's attack. on its part seemed nothing loath to engage in the conerect

:

Its eyes dilated

test.

erect

;

its

and with

face

the hair about

;

seemed to

flatten out

its

neck stood

and grow broader

;

twisting and writhing gently, it crawled for a short distance close to the ground, and its lithe tail

then gathered

itself

up

for its

tremendous spring.

"SARONG" AND

268

Meanwhile the

"KRIS."

buffalo remained, with its pointed

horns and eyes fixed upon its adversary, awaiting the charge, which was not long in coming for the tiger ;

made one tremendous bound with apparently irresistible force, trying to catch the buffalo by the back of the neck

;

but in

this case it

was unsuccessful, and

only made a flesh-wound with its powerful claws, before it was thrown off with apparent ease. Foiled in

its

attack, it

now began

to sidle off like

could get ready for another spring, it was set upon by the buffalo in turn, the furious beast rushing at it, and with a roar of rage a great cat, when, before

it

burying one of its sharp horns in the striped flank, and then following it up with a series of thrusts and tossings

till its

feline

enemy was gored

This was one of the

kind

;

for the buffalo

now

and

to death.

rare exhibitions of the

tiger fight,

and other bar-

barous practices, are rapidly dying out before the advance of .Western civilisation, and the introduction of

more humanising games.

CHAPTER XXIV. Seafaring

Boat-building Little

The Dragon boat Sampans Mercy Piratical craft.

Praus

THE

is that lie is generally-received idea of a Malay a pirate, who goes about in a prau, armed with a kris,

and robs and murders every unfortunate being he but probably the reader who has gone so far through these pages has come to the conclusion that the native of the peninsula and the neighbouring encounters

:

" Some higher in the scale. writers/' says Marsden, "have compared the human animals indigespecies inhabiting a country to the nous to the same place hence the Malay is said to

isles is

a

man

a

little

:

resemble both the tiger and the buffalo of his land. In his domestic state he is like the latter indolent, stubborn, and voluptuous life

and. in his ire he

cruel,

;

while in his adventurous

is like

the tiger

bloodthirsty,

and rapacious."

This comparison a grain of truth in

greatly overdrawn, but there is it, for coupled as the Malay has

is

been by early association with the Arab, and having embraced his religion, it is in no wise surprising that

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

270

we should in

find the

"

robber of the desert " the

some instances into

at the

"

converted

inveterate pirate/' with,

same time, that utter

indifference to the future

which fatalism alone engenders.

It

must

not,

how-

ever, be supposed that as a rule the Malay is a pirate of the old school, for the piracies are, for the most part, There is no petty thieving, but chieftain-like raids.

bold attacks upon vessels by men who seem to have considered that they had a right to mulct the travellers

on the great highway of the sea at their will. "With such ideas then, and having always been a great maritime nation, whose wanderings from the east coast of Africa to the

have

extended

Pacific, it is

not

surprising that to a great extent the Malays have been freebooters.

Good

to the present

day

captain can obtain

known

sailors

they have always been, and

they are the best eastern seamen a ;

and the fame of the Lascars

is

some captains going so far as to say that they would infinitely prefer Lascars to English seamen for the former are always sober, quiet, and to be depended upon. to every trader on the sea,

A bad

character has, however, attached to

them

in

the past, and to a great extent this has been deserved, for the piracies of the chiefs have been many and frequent.

In the neighbourhood of the Straits they

have, through the vigilance of the cruisers, become very rare ; but a few years back the smaller trading vessels, such as those of the Bugis, had to run a

dangerous gauntlet, especially anywhere in the neigh-

SAMPANS. bourhood of Borneo.

271

Lingin, an island near the Straits

was a regular stronghold of piracy, and its inhabitants forayed principally on the Malay and of Banca,

and selling captain Bugis praus, seizing the goods, were pretty vessels and crew for slaves. European generally

respected,

those

bearing narrator of

especially

the

the probably, says the danger of these seas, fro*m the fact that five praus attacked an English sloop-of-war one hazy morning in "

English flag;

mistake for an Arab vessel.

In

less

than

five

minutes

four of the five were sunk, each having received one broadside only, while the fifth got under the land by

These praus had six guns each and one hundred and seventy men."

the help of her oars.

We vessels

bygone times the Chinese that traded with Ceylon and India were not

read, too, that in

only built in a superior manner to Indian and Arabian ships, but were very much larger, in consequence of having to defend themselves from the remorseless pirates

infested

who appear from time immemorial the

to

have

These ships were hundred, and even a

Straits of Malacca.

manned with from two

to five

thousand men, were well-armed, and provided with naphtha to burn their assailants' vessels.

The boats

by the Malays are called sampans, whilst those intended for sea-going purposes, no matter

what

built

their size, are

termed praus.

canoes, with plank built

They

upon plank,

are in fact

to the height

of bulwark considered necessary, while the sternpost

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

272

is

carried

curve

up

down

from which the planks The material used for making

to a great height,

to the side.

the bottoms of their boats water-tight is called by the Malays gala-gala, and is a composition of the resin

dammar and

lime

;

the seams being caulked with either

the soft bark of a tree which grows in marshy places, in both cases or the scraped peel of a kind of cane

dammar

is

afterwards used as

thema speaks vessels,

we apply

pitch.

Bar-

of the praus of his

day as being large on a trade between Malacca capable of carrying

and Masulipatam, the port

in India which, according

refers to as

being near to the place whence vessels traded to Malacca. The lines of the vessels are peculiar to the Malay, to D'Anville,

Ptolemy

and by those who are competent to judge they are pronounced excellent though Mr. Wallace had strong ;

doubts of the stability of those in which some of his trips to the eastern islands were made, the open ports constructed at the sides for steering purposes being dangerous from their liability to ship water in a high

but the same writer speaks very highly of the boat-building qualities of some of the people he ensea

:

countered.

The sampans

are capable of being propelled through the water at a high rate of speed by means of the

and in a long journey, when the powers of endurance would have to be called into play, Europeans would have some difficulty in dis-

Malay dayong, or oar

tancing the natives.

;

When

sails are

used they are

THE DRAGON SO AT.

273

and in steering, the paddle is ; in preference to the rudder, and used frequently managed with great cleverness and dexterity. Menof matting or cloth

tion

was made of

their anchors being used in connec-

heavy weight of stone ; and an old writer " For their galleys they saying have only wooden anchors, for they know not how to melt the iron of their iron mines and to the end that tion with a

speaks of this in

:

;

their anchors

stones

unto

sink to the bottom, they fasten them. They have neither pins nor

may

needles, nor nails, nor chisels, nor saws."

This holds good to the present day concerning the anchors, which, in the common vessels, are frebut quently lost in the interstices of the coral reefs the captain of the boat has this advantage he halts at the next suitable island, and fits himself with fresh ;

:

anchors from the crooked wood of the jungle. Specimens of the sampans of the Perak river are seen moored to the side in the illustration representing the general appearance of a Malay village on the river-bank

;

and

representation

accompanying engraving a

given of a sampan made specially, own inspection, for the late Eesident,

is

and under and in which the his

in the

William Jervois, visited the country prior to the disturbances. Such a boat

late Governor, Sir

by the people a sampan naga, or dragon sampan, from the representation on its figurehead of a fabulous serpent. It was when ascending is

called

the river in this boat that Mr. Birch was so brutally

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

274

set

upon and murdered

at Passir Sala

was afterwards sent up the

and the boat

;

river to ex-Sultan Ismail

the murderers, but at once returned, and

is

by

now, to the

in use at the Eesidency. with a kind of mattingprovided

best of the writer's belief,

Such a barge

is

still

tent in the stern, giving room for sleeping, and for the arrangement of guns and spears on the sides.

A

kind of platform exists in the extreme stern for the steersman, and in front is an awning of mats, with seats for the rowers or paddlers, and poles laid along ready for punting through the shallows.

The Malay

boatmen employed by the Government wear a white tunic and a flat white cap resembling those of the ;

Prussians.

The

rafts,

so

cleverly

bamboos together with

constructed

rattans,

by binding have been mentioned

in connection with crossing the rapids,

and in the

Malays even reside upon them always prefer to build their houses on the on posts well raised from the ground.

interior the

To turn Malays

;

far

but they

shore,

and

have been used by the these average about ten tons

to the praus that

for their piracies

:

burden, though some are made of fifty, sixty, or even one hundred tons, and are propelled through the water

The stockade style of fighting is introduced, for they erect wooden screens which will keep off musket-balls, and from behind

with paddles at a very great

these the crew

fire their

vessel they attack

shows

rate.

swivel-mounted lelahs

till

the

signs of giving in, or board-

PRAUS.

ing

275

attempted in answer to the signal given by the

is

Then the limbings, or spears, krises and klewangs, come into play, with hatchets and blungong.

and the onslaught

a very daring Malay praus generally attack in parties or

derbusses, nature.

fleets of several together,

is

making

of

their advance

upon

a ship disabled by the want of wind, while from their great power in paddling, the pirates are able to ap-

proach in any direction so as to take their prey at a disadvantage, and, if beaten off, can escape with ease;

where they are pursued, their local knowledge of the inlets and channels of the man-

while,

in cases

grove-fringed coast-line, with its many rivers, enables them to escape, and leave their pursuers baffled and impotent to avenge the injury.

At home then on the sea, of which they are great lovers, as shown even by their language, which contains

a

many terms

restless,

abounds

connected with an ocean

life,

and of

roving nature, evident proof of which the numberless points and headlands

in

throughout the islands and as far as Madagascar bearing names of Malayan extraction ; loving, too, the excitement of adventure, the Malays became the terror of the Archipelago

out from the

;

for

many

when prey was

creeks

and

afloat

they put

inlets of the coast in

praus thoroughly fitted in build and armament for Of late however this spirit has speed and resistance.

been diverted into more peaceful channels, and such as will prove profitable to themselves and less inT 2

"SARONG" AND "KRI8."

276

jurious to their neighbours shores.

Still,

every

and the

now and then

visitors to their

there

is

not wanting

proof that in native states, where the rein of government is held with slackened hand, piracy on the high seas is often indulged in It

and even encouraged by the

would be hard

to say

coast of the peninsula has

chiefs.

whether the east or west

had the worse character

for

piracy, but certainly a very unenviable notoriety has

To go attached in the past to Salangore and Perak. farther afield, some of the inhabitants of the Nicobar northward of Sumatra, have exhibited a disposition of a remarkably savage kind and in this respect differ widely from the Samangs, or

islands, lying just to the

;

negro Malays, to

whom

they have a strong

So serious have been their

affinity.

acts of piracy in quite

recent times in seizing vessels, and also in attacking and murdering the crews of those putting in at the islands for water, that the British

government was The

compelled to take special notice of their acts.

consequence was that an expedition was fitted out in

Her Majesty's ships Wasp and Satellite. expedition was accompanied by a brother of H.H. the Maharajah of Johore, and The latter was T. D unman, Esq., as Commissioner. 1867,

consisting of

The

then the Inspector-general of Police at Singapore, and was not only possessed of a thorough knowledge of the language, but also of a singular aptitude in understanding the Malay character.

The

vessels, after

punishing the principal villages,

LITTLE MERCY.

277

brought down three or four of the piratical leaders, who had severally dubbed themselves under English names and titles, such as "Sir George Brown," &c. These

men were

of the average height,

had the thick

and curly hair of the Samang race, combined with the high cheek-bones and expanded nose of the lips

Photographs of these people, with a full dewriter to his friend the scription, were sent by the Malay.

late

Mr. Crawfurd,

who

read a paper on the subject

The late Captain before the Ethnographical Society. Edye, of H.M.S. Satellite, also brought down a little captive

who had

girl,

evidently been taken by these

people from one of the vessels they had destroyed. She was a Eurasian, and only about ten years of age, probability been taken when quite an infant, for the language she spoke was very mixed,

having in

all

and she had no

When

recollection of her capture.

received

on board the

vessel,

she

imme-

became the pet of the sailors, and was treated with all the kindness for which the British bluejacket diately

has

made

himself a worthy name,

clothed in a dress

made from navy

and was soon

serge,

with a

girl's

hat of the latest fashion, cleverly improvised out of a " man-o'-warsman's straw," and ornamented with a cock's feather for plume.

On

her arrival at Singapore, she was first placed in the girls' school attached to the late Mr. Keasberry's mission

one of the most valued institutions in the

settlement

and upon

its

being closed she was trans-

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

278

by the Government to the Chinese girls' school, where she was tenderly nursed and educated, and The baptised under the name of little "Mercy." ferred

poor child, however, did not long survive, but was one of the victims about two years later to cholera.

And

would be unjust not to notice the vast amount of good that has been done by the Society The task of this for Female Education in the East. Society

here

is

it

one that must bear

our endeavours to efforts are directed

and Chinese

girls

;

civilise

fruit in connection

the native states

;

with

for its

towards the education of the Malay each of whom must in time form a

centre from which will radiate the beneficent

know-

ledge she has acquired, for the permanent advantage of those around.

Among

the more notorious acts of piracy in these

parts that have taken place recently tioned the seizure of a junk, and the

Chinese crew and passengers.

1871 from Penang, bound

may

be men-

murder of the

This vessel sailed in

for Laroot, the tin district

of Perak, only about thirty-six hours distant, but did not arrive and on enquiries being made, it was ;

found that an ingenious plot had been laid, by which about fifteen pirates had gone aboard as passengers ; and that at an appointed time these people had risen,

murdering the crew and genuine passengers, numbering in all about thirty-four souls men, women, and and carried off the valuable junk and her children freight, a portion of

which was a large sum in

dollars.

PIRATICAL CRAFT. The

279

was immediately sent the missing junk, which

colonial steamer Pluto

out with orders to search for

was found lying off Salangore, with the money gone, and the greater part of the cargo in the shops of The junk was secured, with nine of the the town. pirates

;

but a rajah and his followers taking their were drawn, and firing took place upon

part, krises

the Pluto, which immediately left for Penang, where she arrived with the prisoners and her prize. Such a resistance to the British authority, and so cruel an act of piracy

on a vessel trading in our port,

could not be allowed to go unpunished

;

so the acting

Governor despatched an expedition to secure the remainder of the pirates and recover the stolen property.

The expedition arrived off the Salangore river, entered it, and armed boats proceeded to search the vessels at anchor and some huts. Soon after, in a dispute about the Eajah going on board the Pluto, were commenced by the natives, who fled to the jungle and in the firing that ensued seven

hostilities

;

men

of the British were wounded, including the lieutenant in command of the landing-party, who received

a cut on the hand from a

kris.

More could not be

done then, as the men, crowded in boats, were exposed to the fire of an enemy hidden in the jungle so ;

the forces were drawn

off.

The next morning Commander Eobinson steamed up the

river in

H.M.S. Rinaldo

a very risky pro-

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

280

ceeding, as there

was a dangerous bar

at the

mouth.

In addition, he had no surgeon on board and he knew it would be twelve hours before the tide would ;

allow

them

But

to pass out again.

rious piratical haunt;

and

of the previous day,

it

this

was a noto-

after the treacherous attack

was necessary to punish the and to teach them

people for their insult to our flag,

that they were not secure in their positions. In a short time a hot and well-directed fire was opened on

the steamer from the

were three

and

forts,

men wounded, and

in five minutes there

the Rinaldo had suf-

but by steaming on, the defences were turned, and before their guns could be got round, they were dismounted, or the forts knocked to pieces. fered severely

;

Musketry-fire was

without soft

much

then

effect,

and soon

mud, presenting a

fair

fortunately his guns were

by

the steamer's

opened

on the

but

ship,

after she

grounded in mark to the enemy but

all

:

silenced

and kept down

fire.

After awhile, the tide rising, the vessel steamed out of the river, returning with the Pluto soon after, bring-

ing a detachment of the 19th Madras Light Infantry; and after a little firing the Malays fled, when the

town was completely burnt down, the forts destroyed, and the guns spiked or broken up Commander Kobinson, who was in charge, saying that the town would have been spared had there been anyone with

whom

to

make

been given up.

terms,

and had the

In addition,

rest of the pirates

five piratical praus

were

RETRIBUTION.

281

three being armed with two twenty-four pounders and one small gun each, with an abundance of small-arms, spears, muskets, and

burned in

pistols.

this nest of pirates

They were of the

;

largest class of praus,

and

measured from eighty to one hundred tons each. The result of this expedition was that the Sultan of Salangore outlawed the Eajahs

who had taken

part the that found could be ; pirates were sent to Malacca, one having died in the interim. in the affair

and

all

His Highness then gave up a thousand

dollars'

worth

of tin belonging to one of the offending chiefs,

presented Her Majesty with a very handsome elephant tusks.

and

pair of

CHAPTEE XXV. The Jugra

A

piracy execution kris

EVEN

evidence in a native court execution The Sultan on piracy.

native's

An

so late as the year 1873, the piracies

The

from the

native states, especially that of Salangore, were of so formidable a nature as to again necessitate steps being

taken by our Government for their suppression. It was in this year that a daring act of piracy took place in

the south of this particular state, namely in the Jugra It was so serious in its nature that it will be river.

remembered in the peninsula for many years to come. So swift, however, was the punishment enforced, and so salutary the lesson taught, that it

is

gratifying to

know

that a complete check was placed upon any further attempts for the time being. Various other acts of piracy had occurred just prior to this, notably in the Laroot river, as will be described, the Laroot pirates being routed,

and

their vessels

and stockades

destroyed by H.M.S. Midge and Thalia, while other stockades were finally razed in Perak, and a more reputable state of affairs assured. In the case of the Jugra piracy, which, as will be

THE JUGBA PIRACY. told in the words of the sole survivor

283

who

escaped, as

given in a minute of the court, the perpetrators were afterwards recognised and were cleverly taken by the authorities of Malacca

and

;

it

was at

first

intended

and punish them in one of our own courts but Sir Andrew Clarke, receiving an offer from the

to try,

;

Viceroy of Salangore, and probably believing in the effect it would produce, decided that the criminals should be tried by the native court, at the very place where the act of piracy was committed. In this case the writer was employed as joint Commissioner with Mr/ Davidson.

At

the trial the charge against the eight pirates

was that they had plundered a boat at or near the mouth of the river Jugra, and murdered eight men,

The court was combeing the passengers and crew. posed of the Viceroy of Salangore, with three Native Commissioners appointed by the Sultan, while the two English Commissioners watched the proceedings. The sitting of the court took place at a stockade.

The survivor then gave its

Malay

court, is interesting for the insight

gives into the habits

on the

rivers

evidence, which, in

peculiarity as a sample of a statement

addition to in a native it

his

and coast

and customs of the boatmen

:

I live at Tranquerra, in Malacca, and am a seafaring man ; I left Langat on the 25th of the month of Poasah, in a naddy (boat) belonging to Malacca ; there were three Chinese passengers, whose names I do not know, and six Malays belonging to the boat, named Hadjee

284

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

Doraman, who was the nacodah (skipper), Ah Kim, Tamb Itam, Meman, Mambi, and myself. The naddy was loaded with rattans ; there were also boxes. There were 2000 dollars 011 board, belonging to Ah Kim, of Langat, and the nacodah. I assisted to bring the dollars on board the boat, and the nacodah told me there were 2000 dollars. We left Bandar Langat about six o'clock A.M. we arrived here (the stockade at the mouth) about one o'clock, and showed our pass to Arsat, who was in charge of the stockade. We went outside the river about a mile and anchored, because the wind was against us. We anchored about three o'clock ; the nacodah told us to rest, and we would sail at night. About three o'clock, the juragan called the crew to boil rice. We cooked rice, and about five o'clock I saw two boats coming out of this river. I asked the juragan what boats they were, and he said two friendly boats from the stockade. They pulled up near us, and Doraman asked where they were going, and the reply was, they were going to fish. Musa One of the boats came alongside, and replied from the boats. Musa and three or four others came on board. The other boat came alongside on the other side. [ There were about twenty men on the two boats.] They talked to Doraman. About six o'clock Doraman told us to bring the rice. When he was about to begin Doraman fell to the shots. eating, shots were fired from both boats. Musa then called out to " amok." Three of our people jumped into the water and were stabbed, and all the others in my boat were also stabbed and killed. I jumped into the water, hung on to the rudder, and after dark floated away to the shore when I floated away the three boats were still together in the same place. I There was a floated to the piles of this jetty and got hold of one. Bugis boat lying about three fathoms off. I held on to the pile about an hour, and the pirates came in their own boats, bringing Doraman's boat with them. One man came out from the stockade on to the jetty and asked " Sudah habis 1" (Is it all over 1). From " We " Sudah habis " the boats a man replied (It is all over). all went are taking the property to Tunku Allang." They up the river with their boats and my boat. The two boats returned in about an hour without mine. They all came up on if it was finished, asked the stockade from this jetty. People After all was quiet here, I and they said it was all finished. went to the Bugis boat and asked them to assist me, and they ;

:

THE JUGRA PIRACY.

285

The Bugis asked me whose boat it was, them Doraman's. The Bugis advised me not to say anything about the affair here or I would be killed. When I was speaking to the Bugis the people from the stockade came and asked them for me. The Bugis refused to give me up, but said they would show me next morning. All the prisoners were in the boats that attacked us. It was daylight, and I could see them quite well. No. 1 shot the juragan. No. 2 came into the boat and shot and Ko. 3 remained in his own boat and had a spear. stabbed people. No. 5 was in "No. 4 came into our boat and stabbed Tamb Itam. his own boat, he had a spear and stabbed people in the water. No. 6 came into our boat and stabbed Meman and others. Xo. 7 remained in his own boat and had a spear and assisted to stab my friends in the water. No. 8 was in one of the boats, and I did not see him do anything. The next day the Bugis took me on the jetty, and showed me All the prisoners to the headman of the stockade, named Marsat. were present with Marsat at the time. Nos. 1 and 4 asked the Bugis to give me up, but the Bugis refused. I saw on the jetty the took

and

me

into their boat.

I told

boxes of

many

of

my

friends, also bags belonging to the boat scat-

and met also two muskets belonging to my boat, and one spear and a sword. The Bugis then took me up to Langat to the Yam Tuan, who was asleep, and then they took me up to the Datu Bandar. He asked me if I knew the men who had done it. I said I did. He then asked me where they belonged to, and I tered about,

He

me If you are asked, say you say you know them you will be killed. After this the Bugis took me back to the Yam Tuan, and I told him all that had occurred. He then asked me if I knew the people who had done it, and I said no, as I was afraid of beingkilled. When I was speaking to the Yam Tuan No. 1 and No. 4 ame in and said We want this man (pointing to me) Tiuiku

said to the stockade.

you do not know who did

then said to it

;

:

if

:

;

Allang wants to take him to the Qualla. Yam Tuan told me to go with them. I said I was afraid. Yam Tuan said if I was afraid

they had better

Syed was

let

present,

me

go to

Mahomed

and I was given up

Mahomed Mahomed Syed

Syed's shop. to him.

sent a letter by Belal Ismain to my uncle Manioot at Malacca. uncle arrived at Langat from Malacca on the 27th of the month of When I Poasah, and the same day I left Langat with my uncle.

My

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

286

was leaving I saw our boat at Qualla Sungie Durien, in this river ; no one was on board. Qualla Sungie Durien is Tunku Allang's place. About twenty days after my arrival at Malacca I was on the bridge at Malacca, and saw two boats coming up the river, and saw some of the prisoners in the boats. I reported to Mr. Hayward, and I went with Duffadar Mahomed, and pointed out Nos. 1, 2, and Two days after that 3, and Mahomed arrested them in their boats. I saw another boat coming into Malacca, and reported it to Mr. Hayward ; he ordered Mr. Warne to arrest, and I went and pointed out Nos. 4, 5, 7, and 8, and they were arrested. No. 6 was arrested at

Ujong Kubu, in Malacca. In the boat where Nos.

1, 2,

and 3 were arrested we found a

musket, a sword, and a spear, which belonged to Doraman, and were in his boat when she was plundered.

In the boat where IS"os. 4, 5, 7, and 8 were arrested were found an anchor and a sarong. The anchor belonged to Allang, but was on board the naddy when she was plundered. The sarong belonged to

Meman. [The gun, sword, and sarong are produced, and identified by the witness.]

Two

days ago I went up the Langat river in one of the man-of-

war's boats, and saw Doraman's boat inside the Sungie Durien. It was tied to the mangroves as if hidden. There was a house on The naddy was shore near the place ; it belongs to Tunku Allang. then brought down the river, and is here now. This is the naddy.

After coming down with the naddy, I came on shore here, and found a water-cask in this stockade belonging to the naddy, and which was on board when it was plundered.

The case lasted three days, a great deal of corroborative evidence being given, sufficient to prove the facts without doubt ; and finally the eight prisoners found guilty of piracy and murder of the eight British subjects, and seven were condemned to be executed on the following day; sentence upon one

were

all

being suspended on account of his youth.

AN EXECUTION.

kris is carried out in a very-

The execution by the solemn manner, by

As

the duty.

men specially

a rule, execution

sentence, but in this case

Mention of the execution

287

it

appointed to perform is

immediate upon

was deferred

kris has already

as being perfectly straight

as above.

been made,

and narrow in the blade

;

the one mentioned being kept in a sheath of gold. Early on the morning of the appointed day an

armed guard of seamen and marines was landed from Her Majesty's ships, and marched out to a rising ground behind the stockade where the trial had taken

Some

place.

followers of the Viceroy were also in

attendance with the executioner, the kris for the

purpose having been sent down during the night by the Sultan this weapon always being in the custody of the ruler of the country, who alone has the power :

of

life

and death.

The

prisoners offered not the slightest opposition,

their fatalist

religion

making them behave with a

calm stoicism, as they placed themselves kneeling with their heads turned from the executioner. This then a small pad of cotton on the shoulder to prevent the effusion of blood ; pass-

latter official places left

ing the point of the kris through this he waits for a given signal, upon receiving which, one thrust in a slanting direction sends the blade into the criminars

and death follows almost instantaneously, when the kris is drawn back nearly bloodless through the

heart,

pad.

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

288

As soon

as death

had ensued, and each body was made two or three brisk

stretched out, the executioner steps over

and around

it,

the object of this custom

being to drive away the evil

spirits

who might be

hovering round, seeking to prevent the soul from ascending to the paradise of Allah. Generally the criminals executed are buried on the spot, a grave being previously prepared ; but in this case the bodies were at once removed by the relatives, to be interred

on a point of land higher up the river while the Viceroy had a notice-board put up that in future this " The Place of Execution." spot should be called ;

After this consider the

it

devolved upon the Commissioners to of compensation that should be

amount

demanded of the Sultan of Salangore, whose people had committed this act of piracy, and taken the lives of eight British subjects, natives of Malacca and after due consideration, a note was despatched to him, ;

announcing the decision as being a demand thousand dollars, or its equivalent in slabs of

for five tin,

and

requiring also that this compensation should be at once placed on board one of her Majesty's ships lying off the Sultan's residence at

Langat. for the lesson read of time was wasted, Very British power and determination to put down piracy was severe enough to insure immediate compliance. little

In

effect,

taken

the

tow

was handed over and

Malacca by H.M.S. Rinaldo, Commissioners received a note from the

off in

and the

piratical boat

to

A LITTLE GAME.

289

them that two hundred and eightysix slabs of tin (about seven tons) had been placed on board H.M.S. Midge and the next day, in company Sultan, informing

;

with the Viceroy, the Commissioners visited other

and during their investigations warnings were issued which had due places in search of piratical haunts,

effect.

But

to

show how

indifferent the

Malay, in his halfto the commission of piracy at* sea,

civilised state, is

which he seems to look upon as

his

own proper poach-

ing-ground, a circumstance may be mentioned which occurred at Langat just prior to the trial and execution that have been recorded.

Our Admiral had an

who was surrounded by his and in as much state as he was

interview with the Sultan, chiefs

and people,

The Admiral, in referring to the capable of showing. barbarity of the Jugra piracy, advised and urged upon the Sultan to caution his people against being guilty of such acts in future, pointing out how it was impossible that they could be left unpunished, as in the interests of the Settlements,

as

well as the native

states, our Government was determined upon putting down the custom.

The Sultan

listened very attentively, and then turning quickly round to his people, he exclaimed :

Dungar

lah,

now,

my

little

game

jangan

people !"

!

Idtak

Don't

main main

let

" lagi

\

Hear

us have any more of this

CHAPTER XXVI. Titles of chiefs

Taxation and

Court observances

tolls

The

Yanity and superstition

A

The

Sultan's slaves

Ancient Malay document.

royal

family

Sultanas

descent

PRIOR to the occupation of the country by the British forces, the government of Perak embraced a Sultan from the princes of the royal blood of the the Rajah Muda, or heir apparent ; reigning house with four officers of the first rank, eight of the second, elected

;

and sixteen of the

The proper "

Rajah,"

any

is

control.

third.

signification,

by the way,

of this

title,

a person over whose actions no one has

He

is

one,

too,

who

having to obey certain laws in the

exempt from Malay code, and is

hence his power is of a very extended nature, and can be largely exercised for the good or evil of the people.

So great

is the power, in fact, of the native chiefs, one of the ex-Sultans, in correspondence with the that Governor of the Straits Settlements expressed his

sorrow for certain crimes committed by the chiefs, and owned that his control over them was next to nothing, for they did what they pleased.

TITLES OF CHIEFS. The

chiefs of the first

rank were

The EAJAH BANDAHARA, who was the

I.

291

Sultan's chief execu-

His tive officer, minister, lawgiver, and ruler over the peasantry. limits were his the extreme over very great, sway extending powers of the kingdom.

The ORANG KAYA BUSAR, the keeper

II.

of the Sultan's privy

purse.

The TUMONGONG, or chief magistrate, preventer of oppresThis officer's place of honour and sion, punisher of transgressors. in procession was at the head of the Sultan's elephant. III.

The MUNTRI,

IV.

or chief adviser of the Sultan.

In the second rank I.

The MAHARAJAH LELAH, who was the commander

of the

land and sea forces. II. The LAKSAMANA, who was high admiral, his prau always The Sultan's zenana was also under taking the lead of the fleet. his charge when ashore ; while in procession the Laksamana's post

him when an upon elephant. The SHAHBANDAR, or harbour and custom-house master. III. IV. The SEDIKA EAJAH. V. The PANGLIMA KINTA, who had charge of the regalia and the district on the left bank of the river. The PANGLIMA BUKIT GANTANG, the high district officer VI. of the right bank of the river. was by the

Sultan's palanquin, or he bore his sword after

riding in state

VII.

The DATU SAGOR, the head

of

the river boats

navigation; and

VIII.

The IMAM PADUKA TUAN,

or chief priest.

In the third rank were The SREE MAHARAJAH LELAH ; and The DATU MATA-MATA.

The others held

offices of

but

little

moment. u 2

and

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

292

The subject

was treated of pretty fully in a previous chapter, but the relations between the Sultan and his bond-servants was left to be dealt with of slavery

under the question of Government. Here, no doubt, is the source of the whole evil, for the example set in high places has been eagerly followed by the chiefs, while their dependants in turn have gladly taken, in

bygone

system that was aggrandising to a The government under the late Sultan being

ages, to a

degree.

and having but little control over the many chiefs, these latter have been as tyrannical and freebooting as the barons of the Khine, arbitrary

and

despotic,

John

;

own

land in the days of Magna Charta but without making the slightest effort to

or those of our

anyone but themselves. Their sole thought seems to have been to enrich themselves as rapidly as

benefit

possible

at the expense of the poor toilers in the

and consequently every chief picked out a snug and convenient spot upon some reach of the river, and built himself a bamboo castle, with an attap field

roof,

;

where he could

sit

in wait for every boat-load of

produce coming up and down the stream, and by

means of

his followers levy black-mail, or help himself

to the booty of the industrious bees, who, though they carried dangerous stings in the shape of krises, dared

not use them against their more powerful, hornet-like oppressors.

Tin, salt,

fish, rice, fruit,

anything would

do for the chief so long as the quality was good and the

quantity large;

in

fact,

the

unfortunate ryot

TAXATION AND TOLLS.

293

seemed born to be oppressed, and oppressed he was, If he could till his time for working had ceased to be. be charged with some

when

trivial offence

he was fined

;

and

levying of black -mail failed to provide the wants of the chief, lawful indulgences were converted into offences, and the wretched people this

sufficient for

were compelled to pay for such absurd things as wearing a sarong a few inches too long or too short. In fact, nothing was considered too trivial by the ruling wolves who wished to prove that their subservient lambs had sullied the water flowing at their

noble

feet.

Under such

a government, as was most

form of abuse and oppression was pracand the only resource for the people was to

natural, every

tised

;

themselves with

connect

the

most

arbitrary

and

powerful of the chieftains, so as to be robbed by one and one only, instead of having to submit to an indiscriminate oppression from the chiefs at large who, fortunately for the poorer classes, were extremely jealous one of another.

The consequence of

this state of things

was

that,

to

labour, the Malays grew objecting averse to thoroughly every kind of work, caring little

naturally

more than providing for their simplest wants. was no advantage to a man to cultivate a goodly

for doing It

piece of land,

and

raise crops that

were not for his own

were absorbed by Sultan eating grow or chief and their numerous followings or to become ;

to

fruits that

;

the possessor of buffaloes that might be seized any day

"SARONG" AND

294

to

draw the properties of

much

"

All this has had

his lord.

to do with the careless state into which the

Malay has

fallen,

and

government, with the

requires a good protection of wise it

make

laws, properly carried out, to

to the industrious

life

that

and

safe

and just

the people take

means prosperity

to

his-

country.

This industry could not be expected where one chief levied a royalty of five dollars a coyan on rice, another tariffs being apparently regulated at sixteen dollars These taxes were nominally the pleasure of the chief. levied for the benefit of the Sultan, who was supposed

to obtain eleven dollars on every bhar* of tin, but he

never received more than

six.

Then

private owners

of mines, though often imaginary beings, were sufficiently substantial in

some form or another to levy

their tax of ten dollars a bhar,

making

a total impost

twenty-one dollars a sum which, as the late Mr. Birch said, no tin could pay. Tin and rice were only examples of the treatment of other articles of

of

produce.

In his

own

same gentleman, " the Qualla Kinta

place, says the

" At

every chief took something. "the Bandahara sublets to (or mouth of the Kinta) the Rajah

Makota a farm

of extra customs-duties on

every import and export, thus making the miners and inhabitants on that river pay at least double the

amount paid by *

all

Coyan, about two tons

other people in the country."

;

.

.

Bhar, about three and a half hundredweight.

.

THE SULTAN'S SLAVES.

295

"

At Sengang, where Eajah Yusuf lived, lie used to stop every boat up or down, and levy one-tenth of everyHigher up thing, but he has lately given this up." the river, where the Sedika Kajah resided, they levied again a tenth on all imports and exports. But in addition to all these oppressive levies of taxes, the inhabitants suffered from a system of forced labour, each male having to render to his

chief a

fourth of his year of labour, and to turn out to assist him in time of tumult or war.

oppressions have, through the efforts of the Kesidents, been ameliorated, but there is still

Many of these

custom of debt-slavery and the chiefs, having the means and great power in the state, are always able to make the wretched people appear, in

this terrible

;

some form or another, in

their debt.

As

this debt

can rarely be liquidated, the unfortunate ryot is, as before shown, bound over with his family to serve the sinking calmly into his wretched state of servitude and suffering with all the customary patience of chief,

the eastern believer in Kismet liquidated,

it is

fate.

If the debt be

generally only for the family to change slaves of a new proprietor it

hands, and become the is

to be

hoped

though

:

this is

very doubtful

for the

bettering of their condition. The Sultan's slaves who are about his palace were acquired in an exceedingly simple manner in a way, in fact, that thoroughly exemplifies the old-fashioned

dealing of the eastern potentate, who, however, in this

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

296

but a petty sultan or rajah, living in no gorgeous Aladdin-like palace, but in such a home as case, is

Mr. Birch describes as that of Sultan Abdullah at Batarabit, where "the house compound is a most unwholesome swamp of green stagnant water, and the It was paths and streets sloughs of slippery mud."

not surprising that this Sultan preferred to live on the river in boats.

When

one of these rulers took a fancy to a slave, his custom was to send a messenger with his sword or kris to the house

ever

much

where the poor

girl lived,

and how-

the parents might grieve at the loss of

their child, the despot's

command, as represented by the sword, was a law that no inferior thought of reIt was another case of kismet the command sisting. of royalty

and the maiden was hurried

off to the

zenana, where she might in time attain to the high dignity of using a pestle and mortar to pound betel

mixture for her lord to chew, if, like Abdullah, he were not a confirmed smoker of opium, and a reveller in the drugged drams that turn so many of these eastern rajahs into weak, mentally incapable rulers of the fair country that is at their feet.

The

life

of these sultanas

is

not an enviable one

;

though there is no bowstring in force for refractory or unfaithful ones, and no Bosphorus with saline tide,

for

yet there are plenty of rivers, and, as has been shown, a very rugged and cruel drowning for the slave who dares to rise in spirit against her lord.

But these

are

COURT OBSERVANCES. necessarily only the exceptional cases

;

297

for, as

a rule,

the slave-girl's lot is to be kindly treated, while in old age the Sultan or chief is bound in very shame to

provide for her sustenance and clothing. The observances in a Malay court are, as

may

be

supposed, very strict, and the points of etiquette careThus it was stated that fully studied and observed. the

Tumongong and Laksamana have

certain places

by

The Muntri has also to take the Sultan's elephant. his place at the head of his litter, and in the illustration

given of Sultan Abdullah and his court, the

various chiefs and officers are seen in their correct positions, according to rank

and

they were The sword-

station, as

placed for the taking of the photograph.

bearers carry these weapons of state, and they are held, quite according to etiquette, upon the right shoulder.

In this case the Sultan

is

seated on a chair,

and

as is

always observed, no other chief can take such a seat unless it is of a lower level than that of his lord, and consequently they all sit or crouch upon their hams. Quite a difficulty occurred on board one of our vessels,

when

a Sultan and his officers paid a visit, the Muntri refusing to take a chair on account of one being

already occupied

by

his chief.

Indeed, Mr.

"Wallace

gives an amusing instance of this Malay stickling for pride of place, in an anecdote that he relates of the chief of one of the islands he visited.

This gentleman

had a great love of European customs, and had gone so far as to order a carriage from England for his own

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

298

use.

Unfortunately, however, the vehicle had to be

condemned on account of a great failing in its construction for, had it been made use of, the coachman ;

would have occupied a higher seat than his master, and in the code of Malayan etiquette such In fact, sitting on the ground things could not be. or driver

the attitude of respect. Even in such a small matter as colour, the Malay excessively particular as to his dress, the tint of his

or standing

is

is

umbrella, and the envelopes he uses to send his Arabic

written

letters.

The royal

colour,

as intimated, is

and the envelopes used by the Sultan are always of this colour, and composed of silk. yellow,

When

a Malay meets a European a polite salutation is accorded to him, and it mostly consists of the words " " I salute you, sir; but among themTdbik, Tuan " " selves it is Peace be with you !" the reply being, And to

you

also."

The

etiquette as to the kris-handle will

be remembered, as necessitating its being kept covered, and these points, along with all those relating to the

due respect to be rendered to the various chiefs, the shape and style, colour and arrangement of garments, are rigorously kept up in the states at a distance from

One of the most striking the European settlements. things, though, with respect to court observances, is the amount of superstitious veneration that exists for To shed royal blood the person of the sovereign. would evoke for the Malay, according to his ideas, a train of

punishment which, in his superstitious awe,

THE EOYAL FAMILY.

299

he could not contemplate without a shudder

;

and in

consequence the person of the monarch is perfectly safe, while the halo of his sanctity spreads around and reflected straight

to

come

present and, what is more, is "" " clown the corridors of time

all his relatives

illumines

;

for

away

every one

who

claims descent from

royalty enjoys also this immunity from danger at the hands of a people who might be ready to resent an injury by the use of the kris.

The royal family of Perak,

like

most of those in

the native states of the peninsula, traces its origin with the greatest care from the royal family of Menang Kabau, or Kabowe, as it is variously spelled. The chief city of this

state

is

called

by some

writers

Paggar-oodong, or Battang Selo, probably the Paggarooyoong of Marsden, the writer on Sumatra and the ;

was Maha Eaja de Eaja, supposed to be a great-grandson of Mahomet. The late dynasty in Perak in more modern times is referred back to Sultan

chief founder

Mahomed

who had issue by a former rajah's daughter Eajah Eenoo, who married a daughter of Sultan Mahomed Muda, who had issue Eajah Cholam, who came to the throne of Perak as Sultan Mahomed Bansoo,

Eajah Cholam married a daughter of Eajah Kassim. Sapi.

Sultan

Mahomed Bansoo had

also

concubines, one being named Eajah second, Eajah and the fourth,

Manda; the

Mahomed

third,

Saboot.

issue

by four

Mundo Beeso, the Mahomed Kusso;

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

300

We

read in Moor's

chiefs at

"

Notices

"

that there were two

Menang Kabau under

who, though brought up

a certain Eajah Allam, in all the learning of the

gave himself up to vicious pursuits. Hence he was seldom called upon to exercise his authority, which

age,

was vested

in the

two

These were a Eajah judging over cases of laws and chiefs.

Addat, or rajah custom and a Eajah Ebaddat, or judge of cases of sacred appeal. They originally formed members of ;

the Paggar-ooyoong house, and though from length of time relationship cannot be traced, yet the depen-

dence

claimed and admitted on

is

all sides

;

and

as the

Eajah Allam can only marry in one of these families, and those of the Eang ampat selo, a proper understanding and subordination still exist.

The

chiefs

under the Eajah Allam were

Eang duo now called

and these resided at Soompoo Coodoos, Lintow, of which Bangsa and Boohoo are the principal

selo,

cities.

Next

in rank to these are the

Eang ampat

selo,

whose origin is altogether fabulous. Their names or titles are Bandahara of Soongye Taru, Mangcoodoom of Si Maneea,

Endomo

Padang Gunteeang.

of Sooroowassa,

Of

and Caleea of

these four the Bandahara is

the principal chief, and is never called upon for personal service when the Eajah Allam moves, while the remaining three, distinguished by the denomination of

Eang

tega

accompany and attend upon the all his processions and travels, each of

selo,

Eajah Allam in

VANITY AND SUPERSTITION. these possessing a large extent of territory, numerous body of dependants.

301

and a

The grand assembly of the nation was formed of the six Selo, and all matters of judgment or policy were The Duo selo had casting votes settled by them. according to whether the case was secular or ecclesiastical ; but final reference or appeal could be made to the Eajah Allam. Tradition carries

the Perak royal family safely back so far; but not content with that, they are,

from their vanity and great love of antiquity of families, fond of trying to trace their descent to

Mahomet, when, instead of being interesting, their account only tends to amuse, and reminds the listener of the account given by Dalton of the Sultan of Coti This great potentate was the in the Island of Borneo. chief of a large district in the south-east of that island,

and

his genealogical tree

was written

in these words,

Koran of the Kragi of Tongarron, his chief city, by Nabbee Ahmet, who came down from heaven on purpose to perform this duty for the Sultan, who was in the

one of

the most barbarous -

head-hunters of

that

notorious land. Soon after the great prophet Mahomet ascended into heaven from Mecca, his second and favourite brother, whose name was likewise Mahomet, dreamed that the prophet appeared to him in the shape of a comet, inviting

him

forth to preach the true doc-

He

accordingly arose, and embarked on board a ship with some chosen followers. They had no occasion for compass or sails,

trine.

as the comet kept before the vessel,

and the wind favoured them.

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

302

After being on the ocean one year, during which period no land was seen, a country was descried in the west, over which the comet

This was Coti. remained stationary. called Cinculemm, when he fell

now

Mahomet landed

at a place

and his brother again appeared before him, standing upon the mountain Baley Papancj. With a loud voice he ordered a kingdom to be founded, and a capital built, which should be considered second only to Mecca.

The prophet disappeared celestial

hand.

On

asleep,

after leaving the

awaking,

Koran, written by a himself in another

Mahomet found

built the capital, calling it Tonpart of the country, where he Here of the name the after ship which brought them safe. fjarron, it was the Koran was first opened by Mahummud Sali Hooden,

the

Sultan, who, after reigning forty-seven years, was taken heaven in a flash of lightning, since which period the family

first

tip to

has given a succession of Sultans to Coti. These facts the Sultan and his priest say are

known throughout the world, and acknowledged by all rajahs in India, who formerly He has no superior or equal except the Sultan of paid tribute. Turkey.

This peculiar form of vanity runs strongly through the whole family of Malay sultans, whose titles and epithets are in some cases as extraordinary as they Those of Menang Kabau excel in this are absurd. direction,

as the following copy of a warrant

from

The extract is from that place will abundantly show. Marsden, and in the original it commences with three chops in the Arabic character. A chop, it may be necessary to inform some readers, is a seal in these eastern lands, though very frequently it is adopted to signify the trade-mark of some large commercial firm in China.

The chop

of a

Malay sultan

is

generally

about a couple of inches across, is formed of silver, engraved with Arabic characters, and is affixed at

A MALAY DOCUMENT.

303

the beginning of a document, the impression being made, not with sealing-wax, but with Indian ink, pretty liberally applied. Here is the document, which was sent to a high priest

:

(Three circular seals with these inscriptions in Arabic characters.)

(Second Brother) Sultan of China

(Eldest Brother) Sultan of Rome

Nour Allum

Key Dummool Allum Maharaja

Maharaja Dempeng.

Alliff.

(Youngest Brother) * Sultan of Menang Cabow

Aour Allum Maharaja de Eaja.

The Sultan

Menang Cabow, whose

residence is at Paggar for asked ooyoong (after pardon presuming to mention his name), who is king of kings, son of Rajah Izounderzulcar-nainny, and was possessed of Muncooto, who was brought from heaven by the of

prophet Adam ; master of the third of the wood maccummat, one of whose properties is to enable matter to fly; of the lance ornamented with the beard of Jangee, of the palace of the city of -Rome, whose entertainments and diversions are exhibited in the month of Dul-hadjee, and where all Alims, Pukkeeahs (faquirs), and Moulannocarrees, praise and supplicate God; of the gold of twelve grains named coodarat coodarattee, resembling a man ; who receives his taxes in gold by the lessong (quasi bushel) measure ;

whose betel-stand%

with diamonds who

of gold set

;

is

possessed of

named Chooree-se-mendong-geree, which has an hundred and ninety gaps, made in the conflict with the arch-devil Se-catteethe sword

moono,

whom

it

slew

;

who

is

to the extent of a day's sailing

master of fresh water in the ocean ;

possessed of a lance formed of a

*

Supposed to be derived from two Malay words Menang, to win, and a buffalo; from a fabulous story of a fight between tigers and buffaloes, in which the latter obtained the victory. :

,

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

304

twig of edjoo; of a calewang wrapped in an unmade chinday; of a crease formed of the soul of steel, which by a noise expresses

an unwillingness at being sheathed, and shows itself pleased when drawn ; of a date coeval with the Creation ; possessed of a gun brought from heaven named Soubahanahououatanalla ; of a horse of the race of sorimborahnee, superior to all others ; sultan of the burning mountain, and of the mountains Goontang-goontang,

which divide Palembang and Jambee ; who may

slay at pleasure,

without being guilty of a crime ; who is possessed of the elephant named Settee-dewa ; who is vicegerent of heaven ; sultan of the golden river

;

lord of the air and clouds

;

master of a

balli,

whose

the shrub jelattang ; of gandangs (drums) made of hollowed branches of the minute shrubs pooloot and seeloare of

pillars

sooree

;

gong that resounds to the skies ; of the buffalo Sattee, whose horns are ten feet asunder ; of

of the

named Se Binnooang

the unconquered cock Sengoonannee

;

of the coco-nut tree,

whose

amazing height, and being infested with serpents and other noxious reptiles, render it impossible to be climbed ; of the flower named Seeree menjeree of ambrosial scent ; who when he goes to sleep wakes not till the gandang nobat sounds ; one of whose eyes is as the sun,

and the other as the moon

To

his subjects declares

this his will, &c. &c.

In another communication to Mr. Marsden by Mr. Dalrymple, the same exaggerated language is taken

up

to

show the antiquity

nang Kabau

God gave

:

residence in the clouds,

had the

gift of speech.

of the royal family of

to

"

Me-

Gaggar Allum, who had

a bird called

his

'

Hocinet/ that This he sent down on earth to

look out for a spot where he might establish an inheritance, and the first place he alighted upon was the fertile island of

and Jambee

;

Lancapore, situated between Palimban and from thence sprang the famous

of Manancabou, which will be

kingdom mighty until the Judgment Day."

renowned and

MALAY DOCUMENTS. When

all

documents

that

is

305

worthless and fabulous in these

is sifted out,

there are, however, several

grains of common-sense left behind ; inasmuch as one can at least gather from the writings, their style, their allusions,

and

their use of so

many

Sanscrit,

Persian, and Arabic terms, that the Malays must in early times have had most extensive dealings with

the peoples

spoken.

by whom these

several languages were

CHAPTER XXVII. The Malay language Its origin Connection with Arabic Rhymes and poetry, proverbs and sayings Love songs Literature Quaintness of expression

Letter-writing

A Malay interpreter.

THE Malay language would study to the philologist

;

present a very interesting for, so far from being a bar-

a soft rich tongue, that has been " This is of Italian of the East." worthily called the its tuneful and nature. The course from flowing " French of the East " would be a more barous dialect,

it is

appropriate

term, however

with that language a traveller may make his way right through the Continent, so with ;

for as

a good knowledge of the Malayan tongue a voyager can make himself understood through the whole of that

enormous chain of islands stretching by the equator beginning with Sumatra, and running right past New :

Guinea, with the innumerable places north and south. This language, as is commonly, and probably very reasonably, supposed, took its rise in the seat of the

Malayan nation

itself; for

down

doubtless tradition

is

quite

Kabau. This ^as Menang district is opposite to Malacca on the peninsula, and It was divided from it by the straits of that name.

right in setting this

THE MALAY LANGUAGE.

307

Malays of Menang Kabau first effected a landing, and doubtless gave to it the name which has been corrupted or altered into the one it now at Malacca that the

The consequence of

bears.

their migration

was that

the Orang Benua, as the aborigines of any country are called by the Malays, were driven into the fastnesses of the great jungles and back towards the mountains. From the fact of the Malayan language being

found in the island of Madagascar to the west, and also far away in the many islands of the Pacific, where there

is

scarcely a spot without its

Malay words, some

writers have concluded that these people are PolyOthers again have thought that nesian in origin.

the Malays once peopled India, and were afterwards driven out into the countries and islands lying to the east of Hindostan.

This, however, seems to be quite

a fanciful conclusion, for the languages spoken in India show no trace of Malay words ; therefore, inlooking at the structure and composition of the language, it is far more reasonable to assume that it naturally had its origin amongst the people who spoke that is, in or near it in the central plains of Sumatra

the Malays have remained less intermixed than in any other part of the peninsula or

Menang Kabau, where islands.

When

first

known

to the European, the

Malay with leavened Perwas Arabic, tongue considerably sian, and Sanscrit words, evidently due to a long-continued intercourse with the nations speaking those

x2

SARONG " AND "KRIS."

308

languages, and, as shown in the last chapter, existing very largely in documents and literary works.

For instance, the Malays had from the Arabs, along with their religion, such words as related to the faith and laws of Islam ; and these were regularly imported into the language. So great an impress did this make upon the people, that they gave up the native charac-

was expressed in writing, and adopted the Arabic, in which they read the Koran. The Sanscrit and Persian words were proter,

in which their language

bably added to the language by degrees, as the the adoption of Malays traded with these people certain terms being a natural result. :

Being a people who may be said never to have entered on the high road to progressive improvement, their language

was never

nor did they possess

rich,

anything worthy the name of literature for which they were not indebted to the Arabs, Persians, Indians,

and Javanese, with the exception of a few

works of traditional poetry, and a tales, called

the

"

"

SejaraMalayu

set of historical

these being fictions

of a highly-exaggerated character. The nation may be considered as having been at

zenith in the sixteenth century, when Acheen was in its most prosperous state of wealth but even then its

;

there seems to have been no one sufficiently advanced above the general body of the people to leave any his-

any record to show that cultivation of the habit of thought had had torical trace of their progress, or

existence.

RHYMES AND POETRY. More and

lately, intercourse with,

with the Chinese has

made

309

western civilisation

mark upon the

its

Malay tongue by enriching it with many additions ; and a more complete dictionary than that which we already possess, both from British and other sources, is

greatly to be desired. It is

from the absence of combinations of conso-

and the prevalence of vowels and liquids that the language derives its soft and harmonious effect. Even the gutturals of the words introduced from the nants,

down and

pleasing when used by the effect of the harsh Arabic word,

Arabic become toned

the Malays and when uttered by Malay lips, the alteration that has been ;

The purest Malay

is

is

very remarkable for

made

in its asperities.

said to be spoken at Malacca

and

Johore, Perak standing next in the scale ; and those who have heard it spoken by the chiefs of these places will have had no difficulty in arriving at this conclusion, the dialect of

Perak

differing

but

little

from that

used in Johore.

Ehymes and poetry the people

;

and

it

.amongst them those

is

are in

good favour amongst

no uncommon thing to find

who

are able to act the part of

improvisatore, and extemporise stanzas of no mean When the writer has been on excursions far order.

away

in the interior, with only

Malays

panions, he has often been struck

for his

com-

by the aptness of these people in putting the events of the journey or adventure into verse, and singing it to one of

"SIRONQ" AND "KRIS."

310

their plaintive airs, keeping

up the

ditty in a whining

melancholy way, till they fall off to sleep. This love of poetry may have been, derived from the Arabs, who greatly esteemed such a style of conveying the thoughts, just as they were lovers of stories, and held in honour

the

man who was

lowed them

a good narrator. The Malays folin this latter, the extempore speaker or

composer of verse being highly esteemed. An example or two of the style of a Malay poem will not be out of place, as exemplifying the peculiar line of thought taken by these people in their verse for, as will be seen, the lines take the form of a ;

proverb or aphorism.

Apa goona

passang paleeta

Kalo teedah dangan soomboonia 1 Apa goona bermani mata Kalo teedali dangan soongoonia ] "What

signifies

If the

What

attempting to light a lamp

wick be wanting

signifies

1

making love with the eyes

If nothing in earnest be intended

?

This love of proverbs and ingenious or clever sen-

prominent amongst these people, and as was intimated in the chapter on that subject, is included

tences

is

in their amusements.

Many

of these sayings

have

been handed down amongst them as traditions in the be induced language, and could an intelligent Malay to undertake the duty, a collection

would be of great

PROVERBS AND SAYINGS.

311

On

such a thing being mentioned to them, however, they seem to be particularly averse to the proceeding, and we can readily understand how it is interest.

that so few records of the past exist, when even an account of the visit of a native ruler to England, which

was promised at the time, has not yet seen the light. Here is another extract from the same author, to exemplify the proverbs of the Malays Hearing of a person's death they say :

NGIL matee, matee, nen eedoop be-kraja. Kalo sampi-la, janejenia, apa boleh booat

Those who are dead are dead If his allotted time

The

' c

;

those

who

survive must work.

was expired, what resource

apa boleh booat'

1

is

there

?

7

a very frequent expression of the Malay to signify that the matter was inevitable, and is adopted in all cases of accident, death, or misfortune.

was

to be

in fact, the saying of the fatalist.

It

is,

!

That

his shoulders

It

Malay, who shrugs enough and meets death or misfortune with the is

same calm resigned

A

is

for the

aspect.

dictionary of the language

was compiled by Mr.

Marsden, from whose pen a grammar also emanated. For this latter, however, there is but little need, on account of the extremely simple construction of the tongue ; though it would be the delight of schooltheir estimation, compare most the solemn Latin or sonorous Greek, with favourably since the verbs have no conjugation, and the nouns no

boys,

and would, in

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

312

Hence, by means of a simple vocabulary, or a dictionary, combined with conversation with the cases.

render himself a Malay scholar, and acquire the language sooner than any that is spoken under the sun.

natives,

It

so

a European

may

would be surprising

much

if

a people

intercourse with Arabia

who have held

and Persia did not

possess their amatory poems or songs ; therefore it is in no way astonishing to find verses breathing tender-

and veined in some instances with true poetic feeling. Amongst the pieces that have been preserved,

ness,

the following is from Newbold, and however much the reader may object to the author for his bad taste in alluding to the crow eating the young rice, when his native forests teemed with more graceful and

pleasing images, nothing can be more poetical than the idea in the two last lines :

tinggili poko lamburi Sayang puchok-nia meniapu awan Habis teloh puwas ku chari Bagei punei mencliari kawan.

Tinggih

Bulan

trang, bintang ber chay-ya

Burong Gagah ber-makan padi Jeka Tuan tiada per chay-ya, Bela dada, melihat

hati.

TRANSLATION. Lofty, lofty grows the lamburi tree, Its branches sweep the clouds; It is over,

I

am

my

search

is

vain

;

like the wild-dove bereft of its mate.

LOVE SONGS.

313

The moon gives her light, the stars glitter, The crow is eating the young rice ; If niy mistress believeth not

my bosom

Lay open

my

faith,

and view

my

heart.

In these days, too, of drawing-room ballads that of course, allowing for are as empty, vapid, and inane exceptions as it is possible for them to be, what can be sweeter than this song from a people whose home is in the far-off jungles of their Eastern land? It is taken from Captain Forest's Voyage, as given in the < Asiatic Journal" of 1825. {

Cold

the wind, the rain

is

I linger though the hour

Why

I offended

My heart is

sad,

Oh

not

break

Come

Whence

come you not ?

Have

it

then,

falls fast,

is past.

say

this delay

and sinking too it

!

and end

Why keep

?

1

;

loves but you. this long delay.

you thus away

1

The wind is cold, fast falls the rain, Yet weeping, chiding, I remain. You come not still, you still delay.

Oh

!

wherefore can you stay

?

Amongst the

favourite prose literary productions of the Malays are their romances, which they derive from India and Java. From Arabia and Persia naturally

come the various narrative fictioDS

gods

and

on the Koran, and the dealing with history and the demi-

heroes

treatises

of

the

traditionary

past.

The

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

314

"Hikayet Hamzah" is one that deals with the exploits of the uncle of Mahomet. The " Sejara Malay u " is another favourite piece, which tells of the gallant

by the Malays, when attacked by the Portuguese under Albuquerque, and is intended to rouse them to emulation. The first of these pieces defence of Malacca

strongly resembles the eastern tales that we have had it is written in a strain

from the Arabic, only that

Chivalry and doughty throughout, and it is considered one

of almost greater hyperbole.

deeds pervade

it

of their greatest compositions. " The " Hikayet Hong Tuah is said to be of pure Malayan origin, and deals with the romantic adventures of a young noble, or Hong, of Malacca. He was

a kind of King Arthur of his time; and, like other romances, it is listened to with great delight by the

The custom is for these stories to be related Malays. by the elders or priests of the villages to admiring " The " Hong Tuah has been praised by some circles. writers,

Newbold

condemned by others

;

but

is

considered

by

to deserve the enthusiastic praise as little as

the sweeping censure, being only a fair specimen of

There are several more of these Hikayets, some of which approach the stories or compositions

its class.

" " Arabian in their highly- coloured Nights " Hikayet of descriptions ; and among these is the

of the

Isma Yatim," a story of Hindoo capital specimen of pure

origin.

This

is

a

Malay language, and remark-

able for its introduction of

Malay customs.

QUAINTNESS OF EXPRESSION. The language

is

many

peculiarities,

not wanting, either, in quaint of which are figurative, while

and

others are terse

315

to the point

;

while in

many

things they reverse our expressions in a manner that sounds to one unaccustomed to the people highly Thus, in speaking of cattle or fish, a incongruous. " " not head. Malay will say so many tail spring will be called an eye of water, and a policeman all

A

eyes.

The ankle

Then

eye of day.

the eye of the foot ; the sun the as to time, they reckon by nights

is

past instead of days ; though this they often judge of by the opening and closing of a flower.

The word

been mentioned as

soosa, trouble, has

very commonly used in fact, it represents the view taken by the people of anything tending towards their

They speak of a friend as a place where you can store your cares and joys of a neighbour, as In one privileged to come up the ladder of a hut. praise of a beautiful woman, a common expression is, advance.

;

not that she has a beautiful face, good figure, or small hands or feet, but that she has heels rounded like the eggs of a bird.

The

following sounds pecu-

on consideration very apropos viz. to liar, speak of the metropolis as the mother of a country, but

it is

for it really

is.

Kegarding the situation of the Malay

peninsula on the globe, they divide all countries as being to windward and leeward. Arabia, Persia, and the like are the former

and Siam, the

latter.

;

their

own

peninsula, Sumatra,

"SARONG" AND "KRlS."

316

would be out of place here to give many Malayan words and their meanings, but they are very It

quaint and original in numerous cases. For instance, the word bunga, meaning a flower, which is applied in

many

ways.

as the flower of

They will thus speak of interest money the blossom it bears of ;

ground-rent as the flower of the ground,

and

so on.

however, in their proverbial expressions that the Thus, a quaintness of the people is most marked. It

is,

is

cowardly despicable person their popular sport

One who

is

in allusion

called,

to

a duck with spurs. said to mount the green

cock-fighting

intoxicated

is

horse. Their proverb with regard to investing, answers

to dropping a bucket in the water of a well, and only When the rain and sunshine pulling up the string.

come

together, they say that

some one

is

coming to a

violent end.

There are numbers of similar expressions. They say those who in dry times empty the jar because

thunder "

heard in the

probably die of thirst. Clear water cannot be drawn from a muddy founis

"

A

air will

tiger cannot help

showing his stripes/ " " How can a dog's whelp become a civet cat ? Of treacherous people they have sayings such as

tain."

Sits like a cat,

but leaps like a tiger

;

and a

7

capital

" The tortoise produces one of the garrulous person the thousands of eggs without anyone knowing it :

;

lien produces a single egg,

Letter- writing

is

and

tells all

the world."

looked upon as a fine

art,

and the

LETTER-WRITING.

317

formed out of the black spike of the Paper envelopes are used by the gamooty palm.

pen used

is

inferior people,

who wafer them with

It is only

lac.

in the cases of chiefs or sultans that the yellow silk

envelope or bag is used, in which the missive is sewn. highly- educated person's letter is according to-

A

The introductory portion of the the most rigid form. letter, the seals, folding, paper, envelopes, all are matters to be duly studied, and in many cases really

by the person who writes. Newbold, a Malay letter ought

are carefully attended to

In

fact,

to

consist

according to of six

Arabic sentence

;

distinct

parts,

namely

:

A

short

the chop or seal ; the exordium the concluding portion ;

the substance of the letter

and the superscription

for each of

; ;

which they have

friendly letter

Mingled with the business-like or are the terassuls, which are the flowery

introductions

or

special

terms.

certain people

"

the

type of compliment

;

so popular

amongst " shadow never be less May your

interpolations

though frequently a

letter will

accompanied by a pious prayer that Allah

may

be

cause

the missive to arrive in safety at its destination. the difficulties of the Malay language is that of getting good interpreters that is to say men who will give a clear, succinct translation of a Malay

Among

speech into English, or vice versd, without flowery additions, or rendering the one or the other at the

Some expense of their clearness and perspicuity. very amusing passages take place in consequence of

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

318

native interpreter's want of knowledge of the weight and value of a word, and the exact sense in

the

which

is

it

For instance, in one of the

applied.

when a

was in process of investigation courts, before an English official, a witness, who was a poor shrimper and shell-fisherman, was brought up for ex-

when

amination, "

What

he

is

INTERPRETER

WITNESS

case

the judge asked

:

" ?

(in

(also in

Malay).

What

are

you

?

Malay). Shrimp-catcher.

INTERPRETER (importantly, in English]. apprehender of shrimps,

my

He

is

an

lord.

though, to take the natives to account for these mistakes in our language, when it is said that amongst the European residents who have It is

hardly

fair,

spent their days in the Straits, and the descendants of the old settlers who make their appearance on grand

days in dress-suits as antiquated as the days of George and William IV., blunders of the most humorous nature are perpetrated from forgetfulness or sheer Of these, one gentleman is ignorance of our tongue.

with having

credited

making he was

pleaded,

in

excuse for

not

a longer stay in one of the settlements, that only "a bird of paradise," when it is to be

"

presumed

"

passage

was intended.

CHAPTER

XXVIII,

Menang Kabau Migrations Arab associations Cinnamon Early trade in spices Malays in Madagascar The Aurea Chersonese Opinions of the ancients Voyagers of the

Ancient history

past.

So

far

but

has been said respecting the ancient

little

history of the

Malay people

of Perak

;

but they have

&

history which shows that, in place of being a poor spiritless body of tribes, they have been, from the

whose enterprise has been wide-

earliest times, a race

spreading to a degree.

Crawfurd, in his dictionary of the Indian islands, says in regard to the Malayan state of Perak, that when or how it was founded is unknown " a mystery, like the

founding of

all

the other states of the

peninsula."

Doubtless little

it

has come

is

involved in obscurity, and very to us by which we can trace its

down

early history before

but its

still,

first

became known

to Europeans

some approximation may be made

as

;

to

by an inquiry into the rise and the Malayan race, which is now dominant

colonisation

progress of there,

it

and in the various native

states adjacent.

"SARONG" AND "KRlS."

320

which

is at the present day so the Eastern archipelago that be found in the great majority of the

this race,

Now,

widely scattered over

they

may

islands, while in the others there is frequently a trace

of

Malay occupation, is believed by some writers to first had its origin on the Malabar coast of the

have

continent of India

others, again,

;

who

class the

Malay

as a branch of the great Mongolian or Tartar race,

consider that they gradually progressed southward, peopling first the peninsula, and then extending

gradually through the group.

Others,

many islands and among these not

visited Sumatra, Java,

pelago, and, better

and other

still

of the eastern

a few

who have

islands of the archi-

for observation, resided for a

long time amongst the people themselves, favour the theory adopted by the higher-class Malays

that their

parent state was Menang Kabau. In the sequel we shall see that the views of the last portion of theorists'

appear to be most consonant

with the past history of the

who, occupying this portion of the earth's surface from extremely early ages, migrated across the Indian ocean, conveying race,

the productions peculiar to their country, while ever looking to Sumatra as their original home, and to the district of

Menang Kabau on

their ancient power.

that island as the seat of

Crawfurd,

who

is

perhaps our

says that this district is eminently favourable for the development of an early civilisation. best authority,

In these early migrations, possible enough to a

ANCIENT HISTORY.

321

maritime people whose vessels were imposing, and who had by experience learned the ease with which a

voyage across the Indian ocean could be made, and return secured

its

taking advantage of the monsoons,

by

which robbed that voyage of the dread

felt

by the early

navigators that they might never be able to return, the Malays became closely associated with the Arabs,

whose connection and custom to

is

so

strongly

marked

in religion

and, consequently, it will be quite in keeping with the character of this work to endeavour to trace out the early intimacy of this latter nation

we

this

day

;

with the countries of the

east.

In this

much

aided by an examination of the products which the Arabs appear to have been the first to are

import westward. era

About sixteen hundred years before the Christian we find in Holy Writ that cinnamon was one of

the ingredients used in preparing the anointing oil. Now, this cinnamon, or rather kinnamon, is the pecu-

growth of India, Ceylon, and the Eastern archipelago and Herodotus, writing about twelve hundred

liar

;

years later, says Kitto, "describes Arabia as the last inhabited country towards the south, and as the only region of the earth which produces frankincense,

myrrh, cinnamon, cinnamon, he says call

cassia, ' :

and ledanium

Which

;

and, as to

we, as instructed

kinnamon/

by the

Herodotus, moreover, Arabians were unacquainted with the particular spot in which it was produced, but that Phoenicians,

states that the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

322

some asserted was educated.

it

grew in the region where Bacchus

From

all this

we can only

infer that

was the product of a distant country probably India and that it was obtained by the route of the

it

Eed

sea."

There appear to have been two kinds of this spice known to the ancients and even to the present day as cassia

and cinnamon the former being a coarser product, ;

and known

in the

Hebrew

as kiddak

;

and the latter

as

Idnnamon, probably derived, according to Kitto, from the cacyn-nama dulce-lignum of the Cingalese or It is true that cinnamon the Malayan Jcayoo-manis. is now known to the Malays as koolit-manis, or sweet skin

;

but this designation

is

more probably of

later

date, as in contrast to kayoo-manis, or sweet-wood

;

and these people still have the kayoo-pait, or bitterwood. The name given to cassia by the Hebrews as not so easy to determine for though it may have grown in the country of Keddah, or Quedah, and

Jciddah

is

;

been obtained originally from thence,

it

would rather

appear that the state of Keddah takes its name from one given by the Malays to an elephant-trap. Kitto adds, there can be no reasonable doubt, as

cinnamon and

cassia

were known to the Greeks, that

they must have been known to the Hebrews also, as the commerce with India can be proved to have been

much more

ancient than

It is generally supposed. moreover sufficiently clear that the ancient Arabians obtained this spice from the three sources of India, is

EARLY TRADE IN

SPICES.

323

and as we proceed, Ceylon, and the Malay islands we shall see that this was not the only product early ;

imported by the Arabians from the far East. In an able disquisition on a work called the "Periplus of the Erythrean Sea," written probably about the year 129 B.C., Dr. Vincent informs us that perhaps the most ancient record that we possess of a trade between Arabia and the countries of the east is obtained in

"

Ezekiel

" ;

and this

trade, then,

must have

been carried on before the siege of Tyre, or about 588 B.C. The articles then imported by the Arabians

from India and these countries seem to have been

But in those days Tyre had gold and spices. the commerce almost entirely in her own hands ; excepting during the reign of Solomon, who, though he exacted a tax from the kings and governors of Arabia upon their imports, and shared in the profits of their trade, had not, says Dr. Vincent, any fleets in This the Mediterranean, nor commerce on that sea. circumstance, he adds, gave Tyre a monopoly of the whole communication with the Western world.

The extensive trade which the Arabians had with the East gave them great power and influence, not only upon the Red sea and the north-east coast of Africa,

but as far south, upon the eastern coast of that contiThis trade was at its nent, as Cape Corrientes. height long before any visits paid to the Red sea by Greek or Roman ; and the chief ports at which their

imported produce was received seem to have been T 2

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

324

Mosyllon and Point Aromata. So particular was the gums and spices that their productions were, in the markets of Alexandria, always designated by trade in

"

"

and probably our term Mosyllitick ; aromatic, as applied to such articles, is derived from the term

the

name

of the ancient port of Aromata.

In the occupation, however, of the island of Mada-

and probably of

gascar, is

Malays

;

though this

the Arabs were forestalled

not so clear

and

certain ports

for this information

the researches of Dr. Pickering,

gentleman says, in his

"

we

by the

are indebted to

among

others.

This

Eaces of Man/' that the

Malayan race is actually present upon the island of Madagascar, and dominant there and as to the time ;

evident that Malay influence has preceded the visits of the Arabs. of their arrival,

Some

it is sufficiently

writers have, however, questioned this asser-

tion of the prior occupation of Madagascar by the Malays ; and excellent authorities have, while ac-

knowledging the

fact,

demurred

to

the

inference

sought to be drawn from it of a migration thither of Let us take, then, the evithe people of this nation. dence. First, we have upon the island a class of man bearing such clear traces of being a hybrid between the Malay and the Negro, that Dr. Pickering unhesitatingly classifies these people under the title of Malayised Negroes, evidently the

same race

as the

Samangs

of the Nicobar islands and the interior of the peninsula.

Then, again,

if

the Madagasci language be

MALAYS IN MADAGASCAR. taken,

we

325

many words from

shall find that it contains

the Malayan tongue, the Malay numerals being wholly imported into it. For names of places on the island, there are on the east coast first

naturally

Manam

land

where the Malays would such terms as Manambatoo,

batoo being the Malay for a stone, and hari for a day; while the word manam is evidently

Hari, &c.

;

a corruption of the Malay term anam, six. In the etymology of the island itself, says Dr. Vincent, we should rather make our researches in the

Malay than it

in

any other language.

the Island of the

Moon

;

but

it

The Arabs called was first known

them as Madaster, or Magaster, and it was this name that was the first brought into Europe by Marco Polo, who doubtless had it from the Arabs. Ma or media- and daster are both Malayan words but the former would more likely have its origin in the

to

,

Sanscrit,

;

and the

latter

in

the

Persian language.

These words might, however, be readily imported into the Malayan tongue from an almost simultaneous intercourse with India and Persia

;

which

is

subsequently confirmed by the visits of the Malays to India and the Persian gulf, for purposes of trade,

The Persians themwere not a maritime people, neither were the inhabitants of India, as compared with the Malays while the Arabs themselves would scarcely have borrowed a name from another tongue.

in conjunction with the Arabs. selves

;

Another thing in favour of the supposition that

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

326

Madagascar was peopled by the Malays, and known by the Arabs, is that we find an early

to have been

Arabian chart in

the

twelfth

century giving the island in question, not as lying on the east coast of Africa, but contiguous to the Straits of Malacca ; doubtless from the fact that reports had reached the

Arabs of there being Malays upon

it,

rather than from

the supposed error of Ptolemy, in carrying the coast From these points of Africa round to the east.

enough evidence

may

surely be

drawn

to prove that

the Malays held intercourse with, and peopled the island, long prior to any visit paid to it by the Arabs.

In further testimony, however, of the early migraMalayan race westward, we have undeniable

tion of the

proof of their adventurous journeys by sea for, unlike many other eastern nations, they had no religious or other obstacle to prevent their crossing the ocean ; ;

the voyages to and fro being made, as suggested, remarkably easy by the regularity of the monsoons. one which then, we recognise this conclusion If,

seems almost forced upon us it stands to reason that with the Malay came the merchandise of his own land ;

which in due course

fell

into the hands of the Arabs,

and was by them carried

into Arabia, Judea,

and

parts of Egypt.

We

have

recorded distinctly by Pliny, in the first century, that a regular communication was known to be open between Arabia, India, and parts beyond ; it

and that the Arabs, who were

established at Ceylon

THE AUREA CHERSONESE. known

327

Taprobane, and the people as Singalese, from singha, a lion, from a fable of a king of Ceylon born of a lion were spreading their then

as

amongst the natives on the coast, and were receiving the trade of China (the country of silk) superstitions

from the Ceeres, or Chinese, who had reached this island and that the father of the Kajah who came on an embassy to Claudius had been in that island. ;

Which statement on that prior to

his

the old historian's part, shows day an intercourse had existed

between China and Ceylon by way of the sea ; and the route for this trade must have been, as it is at the

by the Straits of Malacca, between the peninsula and Sumatra, then inhabited by the Malays. present day,

In the second century Ptolemy tells us of a port on the Coromandel coast of India which was a rendez-

vous for this trade, and that fleets were fitted out to sail from thence to the Golden Chersonese the

modern Malay peninsula.

This port was called by

the old geographer Nigama, and is said to correspond to the position of the modern Negapatam a place which bears evident traces of having been an important mart for trade at a very early period. And the visits there of the Chinese seem amply confirmed

by the remains which they have

left,

especially one

particular pagoda, which, says Colonel Yule, in his

"

Marco Polo,"

is

constructed in a style of architecture The trade from this port,

not unlike the Chinese.

with occasional fluctuations, has continued down to

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

328

the present time ; and vessels are still fitted out there for the ancient Aurea Chersonese, not merely to

convey the produce of India, but to embark large numbers of emigrants and coolies for our eastern settlements.

But Ptolemy elsewhere refers very the Aurea Chersonese, and seems clearly

He

as the country of the Malays.

nection with

it

and Ta-mala. former near the

especially

two

definitely to

to indicate it

mentions in con-

places, Malai-oo-kolon

Some geographers have placed modern Cape Eoumania perhaps and the

most southern part of Asia

latter

north as the Tenasserim coast of Burmah. ever,

we

we look a

little

into the

the the

as far

If,

how-

etymology of the word,

be rather inclined to agree with Dr. Vincent in assuming that Malai-oo-kolon could be no other shall

modern Malacca

and being, moreover, placed in the neighbourhood of the pirates, who have than

the

;

given a character to the Malays in

all

ages,

adds

The view taken is strongly to the same supposition. the etymology of the words strongly supported by ta mala, which, without attempting to force a con-

can only be associated with Tanah-malai, which, literally translated from the Malayan tongue, clusion,

is

the "country of the Malays."

We

have here, then, without trying to build up a

wild theory, Ta-mala, or the country of the Malays, and Malai-oo-kolon, or Malacca, as probably then their chief city, to

which they had doubtless migrated

OPINIONS OF THE ANCIENTS.

329

from their primitive home upon the island of Sumatra, then known as Java Minor, and, somewhat later, as Pulo being the general name for an

Pulo Percha island with the

Malays

;

while at this period Singha-

the modern Singapore

pura

to different authorities, as

was known, according Zaba and Sebana, and the

Perak was probably Ptolemy's Argusa. Dr. Vincent was quoted a short time back as

state of

ferring to the

Malays of quite ancient times as pirates. may need some support

This character of the people

and

it is

re-

given here, by we read that

;

reference to Yule's

"

Marco

Polo," where

This character for piracy and adventure the Malays seem steadily to have borne until the year 1267 A.D., when they became so powerful by sea as to fit out a fleet for the invasion of Ceylon,

and which they successfully carried out under a leader named Chandra Baun. Marco Polo, who visited Ceylon in the same century, thinks this leader to be the same as Sendeman.

It

would be reasonable

to assume, in fact, that the

Malays, having become more powerful by virtue of this trade with the Arabs in the west, and, in all probability,

with the Chinese also

the

in

east,

had

migrated to Malacca as a convenient entrepdt on the high road between China, India, and Arabia. Colonel Yule, however, considers, from the

command,

evidence at his

that Singhapura was rather the

mart in these

seas,

and any demur to

must be made with great

diffidence

;

first

great

his statements

but as he refers

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

330

to a place called

by Marco Polo Malai-an, and of is no clear evidence to show place was really meant, might not

which, he adds, there

what country or

the reference have been to Malacca

would seem

indicate

to

a place

of

for Malai-an

?

collection

for

We

have certainly this very clear evidence Malays. that while Malacca on the main bears evident traces of having, at

some remote

period, been very largely

peopled, there is not the slightest indication of this in the island of Singapore ; a point which is fully sustained by Crawfurd, who considers that there is

nothing there to support the old traveller

De

Barros

in speaking of the celebrated old city of Cinghapura, "to which resort all the navigators of the western

and of the eastern of Siam, China,

of India,

seas

Champa, and Camboja,

as well as the thousands of

islands to the eastward."

Marco Polo we have ample testimony in number of the Arabs on the coast of

Lastly, from

of the increase India,

and the dissemination of

He

their doctrines.

mentions that the trade from China no longer met that from the Eed sea in Ceylon, but on the Malabar probably at Calicut, where the ships from obtained their lading from the east, and carried coast,

the

Eed

sea for Alexandria, from

whence

it

Europe by the Venetians. Enough has now been said in regard to between Arabia and the east to show that

Aden it

up was taken

into

from the very

earliest times

that

it

this trade it

existed

was known in

VOYAGEES OF THE PAST. Egypt and India

;

331

and though we do not gather from

the sacred writings that any nations corresponding to the Malays or Chinese took part in this trade, it is not unreasonable to believe that they did, from the frequent reference made to them in the subsequent testimony of the profane writers of the first and second centuries. Were further corroboration necessary,

it

could be added from the writings

of the

voyager Cosmas in the sixth century, and from the journals of the Arabian geographers published in the ninth.

CHAPTEE XXIX. migrations Voyages to the East Diaz Yasco di Gama The Eastern passage Sumatra The Acheen king Malacca First mention of Perak Treaty with Siam Disturbances.

'First

A

FEW words have now

show that the

to be said to

work have, in their migration eastward from Sumatra and the dis-

Asiatic Malays treated of in this first

trict of

It

time

Menang Kabau,

first

landed at Malacca.

has been stated that these people at the present all

refer

to

Menang Kabau

their

as

original

home, and the seat of power of their race and nation and although there is no written history to confirm ;

this,

we have

it

on the testimony of their

in Perak and the other states, that such

chiefs, is

both

the case.

Moreover, to this day they treat with veneration and respect any Eajah who can trace his descent from one

In addition,

of the leading families of that state.

Mr. Crawfurd, though he gives up as hopeless all endeavours to accurately trace the exact locality from

which the Malayan nation sprang, yet admits the fact of this tradition in the following words :

FIEST MIGRATIONS.

333

All the central Malays of the peninsula claim their origin from Sumatra and from Menang Kabo, the most powerful state of that island

;

but they do not pretend to state the time or the cause of their

Some of the states of the interior even call themselves migration. men of Menang Kabo, the chiefs receiving an investiture from that indeed, the migration from Menang Kabo to the peninThe although in driblets, goes on down to the present time. Malays of Borneo, in like manner with those of the peninsula,

place; sula,

claim their descent from the same

Menang Kabo.

In further support of this we have the authority of Mr. Braddell, the Attorney- General of the Straits

gentleman whose long residence in the country, and intimate knowledge of the language and people, entitles his statement to be received Settlements, a

with

the

greatest

respect.

He,

however,

places

Singapore as the first seat of Malayan power on the He says, in reference to peninsula, and not Malacca. the singular fact of nine petty governments bordering on Malacca, that it is difficult to understand how these little states,

the whole of which,

when taken

together,

one of the recognised modern Malay dominions, should have been established and allowed to remain and goes on to mention a tradi-

do not equal in

size

;

tion that soon after the foundation of the first

Malay

empire at Singapore, by members of the Menang Kabau, family in the twelfth century, a settlement

made

Malacca by a chief who, with his These people followers, had crossed from Sumatra. married the w omen of the aborigines, and formed a

was

in

r

large colony, the people of

which were called by the

"SARONG' AND "KRIS." 1

334

Dutch writers Menang Kabowes. they divided into and formed the nine old

they are

Afterwards states, or, as

Nagri Sanibilang. view be correct that the

called,

If the

first migration eastward made by the Malays was to Malacca, we can then understand how the first colonists would, in accordance with their national habits of govern-

ment,

under their

land

themselves

pendent

in

of

different

allegiance to

localities,

the others, but

parent state of so

chiefs, spread each chief inde-

respective

all

Menang Kabau;

subordinate to the the

fact

of their

powerful a state preventing them

from being molested, and enabling them to maintain their independence amidst the wars and changes around them

independence, which is a source of great pride amongst them to the present a separate

day.

may now

pass on to take in rapid review the intercourse carried on since the days of Marco Polo by

"We

Europeans with the Malays and people of the Eastern archipelago.

John the Second of Portugal, in the year 1484, fitted out three ships, and placing them under the Bartholomew Diaz, sent them out with instructions to try and skirt, and, if possible, circumnavigate the continent of Africa and about the same

command

of

;

time he despatched a tried soldier named Covilhan,

who had

served in Africa, and was well acquainted with the Arabic language, to make his way to India

VOYAGES TO THE EAST. by the route

Egypt and the Ked

of

335

Covilhan

sea.

learning from the Arabs of the great trade carried on at Calicut, made his way to that port, and also to Goa,

which was then a great rendezvous for merchants from all parts.

A few his

years later, in 1497, Vasco di

Gama made

famous voyage from Lisbon, and rounding the

Cape of Good Hope sailed up the eastern shores of He had visited the coast of India, and made Africa. port at Calicut, giving to his nation the paramount power of the Indian seas from Malacca to the Cape of

Good Hope, a power which was maintained

for

upwards

of a century. It is

worthy of notice in

Gama, that upon

his arrival off

that they were visited

had

sails

made

those on board,

voyage of Yasco di Mozambique, he states

this

by the natives

of palm.

in boats

which

This roused the attention of

who looked upon

it

as a remarkable

circumstance, but their attention was taken in a

more

manner in a few days time, for two men of a superior rank came on board, dressed in garments of cotton, silk, and satin. This was the first infallible significant

token the voyagers round these

unknown

seas

had

received of their approach to India, and hope glowed in every heart. The language of their visitors was,

however, unknown to them, and the new arrivals could not comprehend either the negro dialect or the Arabic

spoken by two of the voyagers, though one of them seemed to have a slight knowledge of the latter tongue.

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

330

They conversed, however, with the Portuguese by signs, and seemed to indicate that in the north they had seen ships as large as that upon whose deck they stood.

The point most noticed by was that

these early navigators

their visitors were a different race of people

to those of Mozambique, which was at that time under the government of Quiloa, whose sovereign ruled from Sofala to Melinda, and over most of the neighbouring isles.

seems quite possible that these men of superior rank, who differed from the people of MozamFrom their intercourse with bique, were Malays.

Now,

it

the Chinese, they could easily have been dressed, as described,

in

silks

;

and might

either

have been

merely there as the result of one of their commercial voyages across the Indian ocean.

settlers, or

Benthema gives a description of his hazardous voyage, and of his having proceeded from Borneo to Java, and from Later on

in

1503 or 1504

thence on to Calicut, at which port he arrived in 1506, just seven years before the Portuguese reached This writer says that the people of India were then no seamen, but entrusted their navigation " to foreign sailors, who were Mahomedans." Here,

Malacca.

again, there seems little doubt but that these people

were Malays, who to this day are the Lascars of the native vessels navigating the Eastern seas. He also relates, respecting Calicut, there were then about

MALACCA.

337

thousand Arabs there, who also abounded in Ceylon and on the Coromandel coast.

fifteen

time the port of Goa having become of considerable importance from its trade, and from its

About

this

being the rendezvous for the Mahomedans who came from all parts of India and Ceylon to embark for Jeddah, to make their pilgrimage to Mecca, the

Portuguese had determined to occupy it, and it was taken by Albuquerque in 1510, was recovered by the Mahomedans the same year, and finally retaken by the Portuguese in 1511.

In 1513

we

arrive at very distinct

and important

statements respecting the Malay peninsula

;

for

King

Emmanuel, of Portugal, thinking it to be his duty, writes to inform the Pope of his successes in India, and

him how the Portuguese general, Albuquerque, had Aurea Chersonese, called by the natives Malacca, He had found it an enormous city of twentyfive thousand houses, and abounding in spices, gold, tells

sailed to the

pearls,

and precious

This city he had attacked

stones.

taken, slaughtered the Moors, sacked it, and The king, who fought upon finally burnt the place. an elephant, was wounded badly and fled. After this

twice

;

the general built a fortress at the mouth of the river flowing through the city, making the walls fifteen feet

and using

for the

purpose the stones taken from the ruined mosques. At that time there were many foreign merchants at Malacca, including those thick,

from Sumatra, Pegu, Java

?

(Ja'aes),

Gores, and the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

338

Great store was obtained from

extreme east of China.

the people by the conquerors and upon hearing of the fall of the city the king of Ansiam meaning Siam, ;

called

by the

the Moors

most powerful monarch Malacca had been usurped by

historian the

of the east, from

whom

sent a golden cup, with a carbuncle

sword inlaid with gold, as a token of feeling towards

the

conquerors.

some of

querque sent

and instructions

his ablest

and a

his friendly

In return, Albuwith presents,

men

to explore the country for the benefit

of their faith.

Here then we have

distinct proofs of the wealth,

power, and size of Malacca in the sixteenth century, and allusion to its former position under the king of

Siam

a condition that has not been unfrequent with Malay states instances being quite lately given of the paying of tribute to the Siamese, who exact the gold ;

and

silver

filigree

flowers

work

mentioned as of such exquisite

in an earlier chapter.

to the size of Malacca

as

quite possible, though the old but at the present may there is every trace of the city having once been

historian

day

The statement

is

have exaggerated

;

of great extent, while the eastern houses are of such a slight character that a conflagration would sweep

an enormous number away. than one year after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, a body of English merchants sent a memorial in to the queen, asking for permission to In 1589,

less

send ships to trade with India and examine the

THE EASTERN PASSAGE.

339

Portuguese settlements, with their occupations of Malacca and certain islands of the archipelago. They pointed out that there were a number of important places that might be visited with advantage by English

The queen, who was ever alive to the interests and ready to give the weight of her authority, granted the petition, and three vessels sailed ships.

of commerce,

in

under the command of

1591,

Captain George

Eayniond. Hakluyt gives an account of this expedition, taken from the lips of Edward Barker, the

Purchas gives another lieutenant of the voyage. account, derived from the purser, and other writers but all agree that the have dealt with the subject a storm and separated, that were overtaken vessels by ;

the captain was never heard of again, and that after many extraordinary adventures extraordinary then, but matters of course to-day the voyage was ac-

The adcomplished by Master James Lancaster. venturers were disappointed in their speculation, but the knowledge obtained of the feasibility of the scheme This it is encouraged others to make the attempt. stated,

by more than one

authority,

English voyage to the East Indies.

was the

first

Accounts, how-

two previous voyages are to be found in Purchas and Hakluyt one having been undertaken

ever,

of

in 1579

by Thomas Stephens, and another

by Ralph

in

1583

wherein the then novel accounts of the

peoples they encountered, with their trade, manners, and customs are carefully described. z 2

"SARONG" AND

340

The next voyage

"KRIS."

to the east of

which there

is

any

that of Captain Benjamin Wood, in 1596 a voyage that turned out to be most unfortunate. Three ships were fitted out, mostly at the charge of

account

Sir

is

and

Eobert Dudley,

sailed

from England the

Queen Elizabeth's letter to the emperor of but this attempt to open up trade with the China; east failed, for not one of the company ever returned

bearers of

to give an account of the fate that befel the rest.

It

is a quaint specimen of the naivete and simplicity of the times that the letter borne by the little fleet re-

commended two merchants and vouched same

London

of

for the probity of their dealings

time offering protection to

they liked to

to the emperor, at the

;

of the Chinese if

any come and open a trade

to

any port in

Her Majesty's dominions. the year 1600, the Portuguese, into whose hands had fallen the major part of the commerce in

By

the Straits of Malacca,

now

carried on a great trade

at Arracan in Pegu, Si am, Tenasserim, Quedah,

other states in the peninsula.

time divided into so

many

Sumatra was

and

at that

separate kingdoms, the the state that

most important of which was Acheen has of late given so

much

trouble to the Dutch.

The

king of this state besieged the Portuguese more than once in their stronghold of Malacca, sending an " expedition of more than five hundred sail, one hundred of which were of greater size than any then constructed in Europe, and the warriors or mariners

THE ACHEEN KING. which

manded

amounted to sixty thousand, com-

bore

it

by the king." Acheen is described by Captain

in person

The king of

who voyaged

:

Best,

there in 1613, as being

A proper gallant man of size

341

full of spirit

;

strong

warre

by

sea

;

of thirty-two years ; of middle his country populous ; ;

and land

many, whereof we saw 160 or 180 at a time. His gallies and frigates carry in them very good brasse ordnance, demiHis building is stately and cannon, culverine, sakar, minion, &c. spacious, though not strong ; his court at Acheen pleasant, having a goodly branch of the main river about and through his palace, which branch he cut and brought six or eight mile off in twenty his elephants

days, while

He

we continued

desired

the

Orang-Kaya-Puteh,

at

Acheen.

captain,

whom

or white lord, to

to the king of England,

he had called

commend him

and to entreat him to send

him two white women for his wives, saying that if he had a son he would make him king of the coast from whence the English fetched their pepper, so that they should go no more to Calicut, but to their own English king, for their commodities. The narrative goes on to say " Wee all this while dranke tobacco in a silver pipe given by his women, :

which are in a

close

roome behind him

"

giving an

accurate account of the custom observed in an ordi-

nary Malay house to this day. Captain Best, however, does not speak very highly of the people he encountered, saying that with their king they were griping, base,

and covetous

;

that the trade was bad

;

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

342

and that any ship going to Acheen should be furnished with some one who could speak Malay. however, in fairness to this monarch, be visited at a somewhat earlier date by

It should,

said that,

when

Captain Lancaster, "at an audience to take leave, the Have you the Psalms of David king said to him '

:

'

The captain answered Yea, and we among you ? Then said them the I and the daily.' king sing rest of these nobles about me will sing a psalm to God (

:

'

:

your prosperity ;' and so they did very solemnly I would have and after it was ended the king said

for

;

'

:

you sing another psalm, although in your own language ;' so there being in the company some twelve of us,

we sang another psalm and after the psalm we took leave, the king desiring God to bless ;

ended, us on our journey, and to guide us safely into our

own

country."

We Johore,

find, too,

about this time, the

or, as

was

it

called,

first

mention of

Jhor, and Perak.

The

Portuguese had another powerful enemy in the king of the former country, who had formed a close alliance

with the king of Acheen by marrying his sister. These kings united their forces in their attacks upon Malacca, but were each time heroically repulsed by what was, as compared to their own men, a mere

These latter had, however, an handful of Portuguese. then a very powerful and ally in the king of Perak, for trade. wealthy state, to which many ships resorted On one occasion, in 1813, as related by Captain Best,

FIRST MENTION OF PERAK.

343

the Shahbandar of Acheen had gone on an expedition to this country, but had been driven from Perak by the Portuguese, and as this officer had set off without the knowledge of the king of Acheen, the latter confiscated the

Shahbandar 's

state,

making excuse that

he had gone to Perak, the home of his enemies. Perak is again spoken of in the instructions given by the East India Company to their factor, John 1614, where, in giving a list of the places for trade in the east, it is mentioned in connection with several better-known places, such as

Jourdain, in

Bengala, Pegu, and the Coromandel coast, and with Malacca and Patani, both states of the peninsula;

while

later

on,

Acheenese, Perak " much wealth."

when is

was

conquere4 by the stated to have been Assessed of it

The Portuguese were, in the face of these powerful enemies, whom, by their crusades against Mahomedanism, they had converted into the most

native

unable to maintain their position for any great length of time in these seas besides which they had to contend against the jealous hatred bitter opponents,

;

of the Dutch, who, readily gaining the friendship and aid of these native princes against the Portuguese,

besieged them in Malacca in the year 1606 and 1608 ; but though repulsed with loss on both occasions, in the

year

1641, after a blockade

duration, the

and

this

town

fell

of nine

months'

into the hands of the Dutch,

was followed by the downfall of Portuguese

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

344

influence in the archipelago, after an occupation of one

hundred and thirty years. It was while the Dutch were in possession of and, saving for the piracies, comparative peace reigned in the archipelago, that M. De la Loubere was despatched by the French king as Envoy extra-

Malacca,

ordinary to the king of Siam, and his account of his voyage, which is a most ably written narrative, was published in France, and translated into So important a country as the English in 1693. Malay peninsula, lying contingent to Siam, of course

afterwards

did not elude his

notice,

and

in

describing

it

he

In fine, the mountains which lie on the common frontiers of Ava, Pegu, and Siam, gradually decreasing as they extend to the south, do form the peninsula of India extra Gangem, which, terminating at the city of Sincapura, separates the gulfs of Siam and Bengala^ and which, with the island of Sumatra, form the famous Strait of Several rivers defile from every part of Malacca, or Sincapura. these mountains into the gulfs of Siam and Bengala, and render their coasts habitable. Opposite to Camboya, viz. in the peninsula

Gangem, which lies on the west of the gulf of Siam, the Siam extends to Quedah and Patana the territories of the Malayans, of which Malacca was formerly the metropolis.

extra

gulf of

In

describing

the

boundaries

of

Siam,

and

enumerating its provinces at that time, he includes Jor (Johore), and Patani, going on to say that " the governor of Jor renders obedience to the king of Siam no longer, the Portuguese having given him the

title

of king;

and

it

may

be he never intends to

TREATY WITH obey, unless the

kingdom to

Gangem. Jor is on a river which has

its

pura,

345

Siam should extend

itself

the whole peninsula extra the most southern city thereof, seated

declare,

relations

as

of

SIAM.

mouth

at the cape of Sinca-

and which forms a most excellent

port."

Furthermore, he says, in describing the peninsula state, Patani :

The people

of

Patana

live like those of

Acheen in the

island of

Sumatra, under the domination of a woman, whom they always elect in the same family, and always old, to the end that she may have no occasion to marry, and in the house of whom the most

The Portuguese have likewise given her the trusty persons do rule. title of queen, and for tribute she sends to the king of Siam every three years two small trees, the one of gold and the other of silver, and both loaded with flowers and fruits ; but she owes not any assistance to this prince in his wars. Whether these gold and silver trees are a real homage, or only a respect to maintain the

liberty of commerce, as the king of Siam sends presents every three years to the king of China, in consideration of trade only, I

cannot allege but as the king of China honours himself with these sort of presents, and takes them for a kind of homage, it may well :

be that the king of Siam does, not less value himself in the from the queen of Patana, although she be not perhaps his vassal.

presents he receives

This gold and silver flower is the bunga amas, given by some native states to the king of Siam to this

an evidence of tributary allegiance. In De la Loubere's book is a quaint but very

day

correct

M.

as

map

of the

Malayan peninsula, prepared by

Cassini, the Director of the Observatory of Paris

in 1668, from

which

gathered the fact that Perak then continued to be looked upon as second only to is

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

346

Malacca on the western

The

coast.

river

very correct in its representation, being resemble a tidal creek.

This

is

information received that the

Perak

is

not

made more

to

doubtless due to the rivers

to

the

north

joined the Perak, which, in the case of the Juramas and the Bruas is very nearly correct.

Perak has always maintained an independent position, and has exhibited great pride of authority. After the defeat of the Portuguese, however, it was overrun by the Acheenese ; and its inhabitants were carried

away by thousands

to repeople that part of

Sumatra

sanguinary wars in which the Malayan Later on, as kings of the state had been engaged. the power of the Acheen sovereigns was on the after the

many

Perak again began to assert a powerful independence, and was treated by the Dutch as a state of some considerable importance during the whole of decline,

their

ever

of

occupation

were

in

store

Evil

Malacca. for

the

country,

times

how-

and in the

year 1818 it was attacked by a very large, force from the state of Quedah, to the north, with which it

had always been on

But the rajah of the king of Siam, and

friendly terms.

Quedah, being a tributary of Perak refusing to own all such allegiance, the rajah of Quedah was ordered to invade the country, and

From this date Sultan for his contumacy. stated that the chiefs of Perak have always

punish it

is

its

resided on the

left

bank of the

The Siamese retained

river.

control over the country for

DISTURBANCES.

347

only four years, when the people of Perak formed an alliance with Rajah Ibrahim, the powerful and warlike chief of Salangore,

by whose aid the Siamese authority

was overthrown in 1822.

A

few years

later a treaty

on behalf of Perak was made by the English now with the king of Siam, which established in Malacca provided that the country should be governed by the Sultan according to his own will, and the British

power bound

itself to protect

Perak from attack on

the side of either Siam or Salangore Sultan chose to send his tribute flowers

to the King^as of old,

;

but

if

the Perak

gold and

silver

no interference was to

take place on the part of the English to prevent him. Since then Perak has been in a state of chronic

anarchy and confusion, extending back for some time, caused principally by disunion among the chiefs. This culminated during the last few years in a disturbance foreign really to the state, though it was of such extent that the chiefs were necessarily mixed up

with

it.

had made

For years past large numbers of the Chinese

the country, pursuing various industries becoming wood-cutters, charcoal and limeburners, gold-miners, and traders ; but the bulk were

employed

their

way into

at the tin

mines of Laroot, where, after

various displays of petty jealousy, open warfare was commenced between two rival factions of these people.

CHAPTEE XXX. The Laroot

riots

The Muntri

Fresh disturbances

Eival factions

Insult to our flag Sir Andrew Clarke Plans for pacifying Disarmament of the Chinese Chiefs' disputes Proposal for Eesidents. British intervention

LAROOT, which has been so frequently mentioned in these pages as the district in the north of Perak, has been for some time ruled over by an officer or chief

known

Muntri of Laroot, or, as it should be but his power correctly, the Muntri of Perak had of late become so great, and his connection with as the

more

;

the district in question so fully acknowledged, that he was almost invariably spoken of as the chief of the subsidiary place.

The

late

Muntri

is

the son

of one

Inchi

Long

an enterprising man, who, prior to 1855, was appointed by the then reigning sultan of Perak to Jaafar,

take charge of the Laroot district, which at that time was limited to the river and the mines. He bore no

being a mere trader, whose dealings were with the then small colony of Chinese miners who had title,

settled in the place

;

but by his keen management he

THE LAROOT

RIOTS.

349

His duties soon became a person of some importance. were appointed by the Sultan, and no doubt he had to receive the greater part of the revenues of Laroot

endorsed

by every appointment being These revenues were the tithes of the

Sultan.

cultivation of the district,

and

his

;

successive rice

later on, the tax or

royalty on the tin that was smelted, so that in time

became very valuable, especially as for some reason the district had its borders largely augmented towards the south, and fresh Chinese were his privilege

constantly arriving to increase the workings, and of course the produce of the tin.

The Sultans being

careless, indolent

men, and

it

believed unwilling to take the management of an extensive district, now inhabited by large numbers of

is

Chinese,

who were

of a very factious nature, Inchi

Jaafar would have very little difficulty in keeping them in ignorance of the vast revenue he was gradually

and kept them satisfied by means of large presents given to them from time to time as tribute ; so that he rapidly grew in power, wealth, and position receiving

;

over this enormously rich district, and, it seems, kept the Chinese miners in a good state of

as

ruler

subjugation

till

his death,

when he was succeeded by

his son.

The Chinese, being a clannish people, were divided in? Laroot into two parties, namely a body of Macao men, of four districts,

and one of Keh Chinese, of

the two parties being

known

as the See

five districts,

Kwan and

the

"SARONG" AND "KEIS."

350

Go Kwan

;

and between these

rival factions a serious

outbreak took place soon after the death of Jaafar. This ruler had held a nominal command over the siding

people,

with neither

faction

;

but as

they

rapidly increased in numbers, and the disturbances arose, the present chief, Nga Ibrahim, lost control

over them, and his power was set at naught. At first during this period, the chief was merely in correspondence spoken of as Nga Ibrahim, but shortly after the Sultan promoted him to the high rank of one of his four chief officers, making him Muntri of Perak ;

and before long he was

practically

acknowledged to be

the independent ruler of the district between the rivers Krean on the north, and Bruas on the south. His political

management was

clever, for

on the outbreak

of the great quarrel between the Chinese, when the two parties were quite beyond his control, he joined one of the rival factions, and aided it by throwing the

Malay

influence into the scale, thus reducing the other

party to submission. This was in 1862, and was, not taking into consideration minor quarrels, the commencement of the disturbances in Laroot.

After the fight, one of the

leaders of the defeated party, who was a British suba complaint to our Eepresentative concernject, raised ing the destruction of his property at the mines ; and

the result of this was that his cause was espoused by our Government, and a claim made by General

Cavenagh upon the Sultan

for compensation to the

BRITISH INTERVENTION.

351

defeated party to the amount of seventeen thousand This was enforced by a blockade of the dollars.

The Sultan Laroot river by a British man-of-war. to be paid by the ruler replied that this money ought and by him the indemnity was found. It considered that the title of Muntri was bestowed

of Laroot is

upon him

;

for

supplying this large

sum

but at

all

events the honour was conferred; and subsequently Laroot became one government, and the Muntri en-

joyed the revenues of the country, whose inhabitants so increased that at the end of 1871 the Chinese

mining population was estimated at forty thousand, and the value of the tin annually exported was some-

where about a million of

dollars.

With

the increasing strength of the Chinese, that of the Muntri began to fail. They made demands of

him which he

yielded ; for principally through the fact of having sided with one party, he could not maintain his prominent position as ruler over both ; and so it

was

though he was able to exact the regular royalty paid to him on tin, the Chinese refused to pay that,

him the revenues obtained through the gambling farm on which he had levied dues, and also that which had accrued to him from the sale of their

to

Further signs of contempt for favourite drug opium. the Muntri's power too were being shown ; for one of the great sugar-planters who rented the farms of the Krean district refused to pay his rent, alleging that the amounts were due to the Sultan, and not to the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

352

Muntri,

whom

he treated as a subordinate

not as the ruler of the

Soon

after

that

fresh quarrels arose

officer,

and

district. is

in the beginning of

between the

1872

rival Chinese factions,

whose position had now altered so that the defeated party had grown the stronger and consequently the ;

Muntri threw over

and sided with

his former allies,

his old enemies, with the result that the conquerors

of the preceding fight were beaten, out of the country.

Eumours is

and

of these fights reached

probably not

literally

England

;

driven

but

it

known what sanguinary engagements

they were, inasmuch as they were looked upon as the petty riots of some Chinese, in an out-of-the-way part But this is far from being a correct of the world.

The Chinese

idea of their extent.

are a busy, indus-

when

in small numbers, are glad to obtain the protection of the Malay chiefs ; but as

trious people, and,

soon as they are in sufficient strength, they display a disposition to set that power at defiance, refusing to

acknowledge their rule over the mines, and declining but having no control over the to pay the revenues ;

by which they

carry off their metallic produce, the royalties here to the Malay chiefs who they pay live on the banks and hold the stream under their rivers

In their quarrels the Chinese run to great excesses, and the disturbances between rival tribes a squabble between two arise from small matters control.

boys, or some case of petty jealousy

when

the whole

THE LAROOT

RIOTS.

353

the ensuing party on either side will be drawn into fight.

In the autumn of 1872 the

Go Kwans who had

been expelled, and had spent their time in warlike to regain their position. preparations, made an effort

Arms and ammunition were

up the Laroot river, and at last a desperate attack was made upon the The engagement faction in possession of the mines. seems to have been most sanguinary three thousand Chinamen are said to have lost their lives. The way and great of retreat was strewn with dead bodies sent

;

;

numbers

made

of fugitives,

their

way

to

many

of

whom

were wounded,

Penang, while the conquerors The Muntri again

installed themselves at the mines.

espoused the cause of the victorious party, which was strongly aided by the Chinese merchants in various

who equipped

junks, and furnished the sinews of war but so little was this state of affairs appreciated by the more wealthy and thoughtful Chinamen, that " When one leading man is reported to have said the British flag is seen over Perak or Laroot, every parts,

;

:

Chinaman In

this

recruited

"

go down on his knees and bless God latter disturbance fighting men were

will

from China

!

;

while on the side of

the

Muntri, and for the preservation of law and order, the Chief of Police in the district, Captain Speedy,

with one hundred men, went to his aid ; but on the whole the effect produced was not very great, for in spite of the moral support of the Government and the 2 A

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

354

aid of Captain Speedy 's trained men, the Muntri's enemies could not be driven from the country while, ;

being short of provisions, they took to sending out large row-boats to forage.

took to genuine piracy;

But from

till,

this

they gradually

in 1873, they were attack-

ing everything that came in their way, and committing such atrocities that finally the Government was forced to seriously interfere.

to

Prior to this, though, attempts had been made settle the difficulties ; for in September, 1873,

H.M.S. Thalia and Midge proceeded to the scene of these piracies, and sailing up the Laroot river, were fired

upon by the

pirates,

and, after various

little

encounters, proceeded to attack the powerful stockade which defended the stream, in company with well-

manned row-boats

the enemy firing from muskets, and rounds of grape from their larger guns. The engagement was continued for some time, when ;

also sending

our forces were drawn

off,

the stockade not having

been destroyed, though great

loss

was

inflicted

upon

the enemy, ours being confined to two sub-lieutenants

dangerously wounded. This gross insult to our flag demanded immediate action; and a few days later H.M.S. Midge, in com-

pany with the boats of the Thalia, ascended the

river,

where they were soon within reach of the pirates, who received them with the fire of three large warjunks and that of a strong stockade. Our forces were not long in replying, and soon after the boats dashed

BE1TISH INTERVENTION.

355

the junks were boarded, and the stockade carried, with very little loss to ourselves while finally the in

;

;

junks and a second stockade were totally destroyed. The Chinese were well armed, mounting, as they

some five-and-twenty guns, though of small calibre, and having plenty of Snider rifles. They did,

however were very severely punished, and the town of Laroot surrendered unconditionally, with nearly four thousand

command

men

and the report of the officers in was done for the

;

stated that everything

relief of the

enemy's wounded

;

while, as a specimen

of the fighting powers of these Chinese

pirates

as

opposed to our seamen and marines, our losses were only two men wounded, as in the previous action. This was a severe lesson to the piratical party, but it proved impossible to capture their swift row-

which evaded pursuit in the various creeks with which the coast here is intersected and soon boats,

;

after the departure of the

the Chinese became

bolder and more serious than

ever, while the fighting

Such being the

men-of-war the action of

was renewed.

state of the country, steps

were

absolutely necessary on the part of the Government to prevent the contagion from spreading to our own

Penang and Singapore, where the Chinese had many sympathisers, and from whence the rival tribes were frequently receiving the result supplies of men, arms, and ammunition Settlements,

especially

to

;

being constant attacks upon defenceless trading-boats 2 A 2

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

356

In passing up and down the Straits. notorious for their Malay piracies

fact,

these Straits

were

now

gainthe by subjects of the Celestial Empire. To so great an extent were these proceedings carried, that attacks were planned

ing an

evil

name

for those perpetrated

and carried out upon our own isolated police stations, and notably upon the light-keeper and his party at the lighthouse at Cape Kachado. This being the state of affairs on the accession of Sir

Andrew Clarke

to the governorship in

November,

1873, he proceeded to try and obtain a settlement of the disturbances by dealing personally with the matter, and procuring a general peace in the troubled districts

;

for it

was believed that the Chinese

factions,

whose fighting had degenerated from a little war into open piracy, must have now suffered to such an extent as to be willing to

make terms

for the general

" if they occupation of the mines, could be relieved from the complications arising out " of their alliances with the contending Malay parties

and peaceable

;

for at this time

influence on the part of ex-Sultan

Ismail was being brought to bear against the Muntri of Laroot, who had grown too powerful and rich to give satisfaction to the princes of the country, of

which

his was, after

To

further

all,

these

but a division.

arrangements

the

Governor

decided to go from Singapore to Perak, to discuss the troubles with the Perak chiefs ; but first it

was

necessary

that

all

fighting

should

cease.

SIR

ANDREW

CLARKE.

357

Mr. Pickering, one of our officers, who, from his intimate knowledge of the Chinese language and customs,

had obtained great influence with the Chinese of the Settlements, was then sent to Penang, where he conferred with the head men, to find out whether they were willing to come to terms with each other, disarm, and let the arbitration of their disputes be

Mr. Pickering succeeded

arranged by Government.

The head men agreed to leave their differences to be settled by the Governor, and to Whereupon Captain Dunlop give up their arms. and the writer were despatched to carry out the disarmament, and receive all arms and row-boats, and at the same time to obtain such information as was

most

fully.

possible respecting the dispute then existing

amongst

the Perak chiefs, as to the right of succession to the After some difficulties this was done, and country.

and the leading men of the Chinese, met the Governor at the Bindings, where, as regarded the preservation of peace in Perak itself, it

the chiefs

of Perak,

was decided that the Kajah Muda Abdullah should become Sultan, and in spite of his vacillating behaviour with the Chinese, interests

of

it

was thought better

peace that the

Muntri's

in the

appointment

should be ratified as governor of Laroot, and these arrangements were made to the exclusion of Ismail, with the

full assent of

the Perak chiefs.

In dealing with the Chinese difficulty the rivers were searched in pursuit of row-boats and arms ;

"82&ONO" AND "KRIS."

358

among

the guns taken being a Krupp.

women and

children,

who were kept

A

number of

in a state of

slavery, were searched for, so as to set them at liberty, which was subsequently done; and the leading Chinese,

many

of

whom

were

men

of property,

bound them-

selves over to preserve peace towards each other

and

towards the Malays, in a penalty of fifty thousand dollars, and furthermore undertook to disarm and

For the further settledestroy all their stockades. ment of all difficulties, three officers were appointed, with the

full

consent of the Sultan, to settle

all

points

of disagreement with respect to the mines, and who were to discover and set free the women and children .

3

the Chinese agreeing to accept the decisions of these officers as final.

Following upon

and the

this,

feeling of the

the result of the discussion,

Malay

chiefs that

they could not

of themselves deal with the Chinese immigrants, was that the Sultan Abdullah requested the Governor to This, with the full appoint Eesidents in the country. was done a Kesident consent of the native princes, ;

being appointed at the Sultan's court at Perak,

and an

the expenses connected with which appointments were to be borne out of The two Kesidents were the revenue of the state.

Assistant-resident at Laroot

W.

;

Birch and Captain Speedy the former taking up his abode at Banda Baru, and the latter Their duties were to as Assistant-resident at Laroot.

Mr.

J. "W.

;

PLANS FOR PACIFYING.

359

advise the respective rulers in matters of revenue, and

those of a judicial character especially. Mr. Birch was a man of great experience and knowledge of the people,

and had held high administrative and judicial offices at Ceylon and Singapore and, had he lived, would ;

have greatly added to the development and prosperity of Perak. Captain Speedy had been busily engaged, with the hundred trained

men under

his

command,

in

Chief of the Police, in putting down the disturbances on the Laroot river boarding junks, assisting, as

making seizures, and the like, and acting generally on the side of law and order on behalf of the Muntri This officer's position now as a country. partisan chief of armed men being no longer tenable in Laroot, and the necessity for the disposal of his of

the

men having arisen, he was formally the Assistant -resident, and his men disappointed charged and re- enlisted as the Kesident's Guard. For

body

of fighting

was considered that

this officer, being held in high both the Malays and the Chinese, would respect by now that he was freed from all engagements with the become a Muntri, and acting under government it

power, from his knowledge and his influence with the above chief, in the pacification and management this part of the country.

These arrangements having been made, all that was now necessary was to send back the disarmed

men and

boats to Laroot, towed

by two steamers and ;

360

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

the miners, satisfied of the peace that was in future to reign, returned cheerfully to their avocations at the mines.

In this way, then, was a serious chain of outbreaks begun by the Chinese, but with which the Malay chiefs

had gradually embroiled themselves

on the

disputed question of the right of succession and the position of the Muntri of Laroot, brought to an end ;

had the new Sultan proved, in his fresh career, equal to the opinions formed respecting him by Sir Andrew Clarke, when only Eajah Muda, or next in succession, a career of prosperity would have begun

while,

for the country, in place of the troubles

sequently had place.

which sub-

CHAPTER XXXI. 'The Pangkore treaty Deposition of Sultan Ismail Sultan Abdullah. Mr. Birch's appointment Troubles with the Sultan His

reproof by the Governor

Mr, Birch

Lieut. Abbott

The proclamations The murder of and Mr. Swettenham at the Kesidency.

THE engagement made with

the chiefs, as described in

the last chapter, was signed on January 20th, 1874, and was called the Pangkore Treaty, and among the arrangements embraced by it, the acting Sultan Ismail

was allowed

and had a pension assigned to

The

Muda

to retain the title of Sultan

him

and a certain small

only,

territory

suitable to his position as ex-Sultan.

rest of the treaty

was taken up with questions of

boundary, the payment of the Residents, the appointment of native officers, and matters of revenue and the collection thereof.

The ex-Sultan Ismail was deposed, but he had only been intended, it seems, to be a temporary occupant of the throne on the death of the late Sultan for he was ;

not of the blood -royal, and his only claim to the position was that he had married into the royal family

and when placed in the ruling seat he was kept there by He had occupied important positions during intrigue.

"BlBQW

362

AND

"KRIS."

the past two reigns, and from his high office and age seemed to be a suitable man for temporarily occupying the throne while once there, as he inter;

fered scarcely at all with the matters of government, living a retired

life far

up the country on the Perak

probable that the principal chiefs wished to keep matters as they were, and therefore resisted the claims of the Eajah Muda Abdullah, to the disturbance river, it is

of the state.

These

and was

difficulties it

after his

was the Governor's aim

discussion with the chiefs wherein

elicited that the claims of Ismail

and that

to end, it

were not good,

his position as sultan would, if continued,

lead to the continuance of the troubled state of the

country, proceedings went on for the confirmation of the Eajah Muda Abdullah as sultan of Perak ; and

here

it

will be interesting to the reader to

have the

portion of the discussion relating to this matter as given by Mr. Braddell, the Attorney-General of the Straits

Settlements, in his report of the proceedings and Laroot on the occasion of the Governor's

at Perak visit.

The Governor then asked all present: If the Eajah Muda accepts the Sultanship, are there enough great men of the country present to confirm him 1 To which there appeared to be a general assent ; "but the Muntri fenced, and at last, on being pressed, he said I think there are enough,

if

the Eajah

Muda

thinks he ought to be

made Sultan. The Governor then addressed the whole assembly and intreated them to state if there was any objection to the Eajah Muda as

DEPOSITION OF ISMAIL. Sultan, and did they installed

1

know

The Muntri

3GS

any other person who should be whatever the Bandahara says, I ani

of

said,

bound to obey. The GOVERXOR. But tell me your own opinion. The MUNTRI. The proper thing would be to inquire

of all the

inhabitants of the country.

The GOVERNOR.

Have you ever heard of the people (ryots) a consulted in being Malay country as to who is to be king 1 The MUNTRI. When Ismail was chosen the people were there r and, I suppose, took a part in the business. denied by the other chiefs.)

(This, however,

was

At this time the Laksarnana arrived, and took his place. The GOVERNOR. What would become of Ismail if the Eajah Muda is made Sultan 1 The Muntri said he did not know ; but the Laksamana said, in times gone by there had been ex-Sultans, called Sultan Muda, as the present Eajah Muda's grandfather was, and Ismail might have a revenue, and a small

district to

govern as Sultan

Muda. The GOVEBNOR.

What ceremonies should be performed for the Eajah Muda as Sultan ? The LAKSAMANA. He should be crowned at Banda, in the Perak river ; and even if some of the great men were not present, it would suffice if the Bandahara and Eajah Muda were present. On this the Governor asked all Are you ready to have the questions as to Ismail and the Eajah Muda settled now 1 The LAKSAMANA. How about those who are not here 1 The GOVERNOR. This point has already been discussed. Are installation of the

:

you yourself willing Sultan

to give your adhesion to the

Eajah

Muda

as

1

The LAKSAMANA. Individually, yes. The BANDAHARA. Yes. EAJA OSMAN. Yes. EAJA ABBAS. Yes. The MUNTRI. If the people like it I have no

place, I of course

follow them.

The TUMONGONG. I follow the course of the Bandahara. The DATOH GAPAR. Same as Tumongong.

"SAKONG" AND "KRIS."

364

The MAKOTAH. I follow the Bandahara. The DATOH EOUAH. Yes. The SHAHBANDAR. I will follow the Baja Muda. Hajee Hussain and Hajee Mohamed Syed and five

others all

agreed.

The GOVERNOR. Does Ismail take any interest in the government of the country ? The BAXDAHARA. He lives a retired life. The Governor then said that what they had been discussing would form the subject of a treaty, and asked them to name deputies to attend for them.

All agreed.

The following were then chosen Eajah Muda, Bandahara, Laksamana, Muntri, and Shahbandar; and at the request of the Muntri, his friend the Tumongong was added. The Muntri, on being asked to state anything ho might have " As to the succession I have in his mind, said nothing further to :

:

say."

On

this, sireh

and

tea

was

served,

and the conference broke up.

Great expectations were formed of the result of but shortly after Mr. Birch this Pangkore treaty ;

had taken up his residence in Perak, troubles began for the Governor was soon obliged to write to the ;

Sultan, complaining of his not taking the advice of

the Resident, and calling him to account for breaking In fact, it seems the solemn promises he had made. that,

from the

first,

great dissatisfaction was felt

by

both the Sultan and chiefs who had signed, and they objected strongly to Mr. Birch's plans for collecting the revenue.

scheme

Later on,

for this purpose

a

was

full

and comprehensive

laid before the Sultan

one that had the approval of the Governor but found no favour with the ruler and chiefs of Perak.

it

TROUBLES WITH THE SULTAN. In

fact,

365

Mr. Birch soon found that he had a task

of a most onerous nature in dealing with a

man whom

he describes as being eminently silly and foolish, and He could hardly one who indulged largely in opium. ever be kept to a subject for any time when on questions of great import to the state, but was, with childish vanity, constantly asking questions

and draw-

In short, he was a weak

ing attention to his dress.

sensual man, whose sole thoughts were devoted to his

own

gratification

when

not

taken up by

trifling

matters of the time.

At

the end of a year namely in January, 1875 Mr. Birch was so out of favour with the Sultan that

wrote to

the

latter

the

Pangkore

treaty,

Kesident's

authority the Sultan occasions,

ex-Sultan lest

it

Ismail not to sign

should strengthen the In fact, on other

Perak.

in

showed a

disposition to take

part with his old opponent Ismail against the Eesident ; and as time wore on, ominous little signs began to tell of the

coming of

Lela, a powerful chief,

mischief.

began

round his house at Passir

The Maharajah

to erect a strong stockade

Sala.

The Muntri of Laroot

took precautions for the safety of his family by removing them from Durian Sabatang to Laroot ; while in

many

other instances

indicative of the

At

last,

clouds began to form,

coming storm.

Andrew Clarke wrote another reproving him for his resistance proposed by Mr. Birch, and telling him

in April, Sir

letter to the Sultan,

to the reforms

little

"SARONG" AND "KRIS.

366

that

lie

At the proclamation under his own

was breaking the Pangkore

same time he enclosed a

11

treaty.

hand, which warned all men against collecting the revenue in any form excepting only such as were apSoon after this the Sultan pointed by the Kesident. sent to the Governor at Singapore, against Mr. Birch, so as to

making complaints get him removed from the

Kesidency but Sir Andrew Clarke declined to interThis letter not fere, as he was leaving the Straits. succeeding, and being still more embittered against ;

the Eesident,

who was

pressing

him

to sign certain

papers in connection with his scheme of taxation, it seems that the Sultan called together his chiefs at Durian Sabatang; and it is believed that at that time it

was decided

by a combination attack Banda Baru, and drive the

to kill Mr. Birch, and,

of the people, to

English completely out of Perak. Later on that is in September, 1875 Sir William Jervois, having npw succeeded Sir Andrew Clarke as Governor, visited Perak,

during his progress through the country, made proposals both to the exSultan at Blanja, and to Sultan Abdullah at Banda and,

Baru, that the country should be handed over to the of

British

proposing certain allowances for the chiefs if they agreed to the arrangement, as this seemed to him the only way of settling

management

officers

;

the knot into which affairs had run

:

for the treaty

was

openly violated, the government was wretched, slavery ran riot, and Mr. Birch had embittered himself still

THE PROCLAMATIONS. more by

367

interfering in certain slavery matters.

After

consideration, the ex-Sultan Ismail refused these pro-

and declared that he was not bound by the Pangkore treaty, while Abdullah expressed his wish to

posals,

abide by the treaty, but asked for time for consideration, and received fifteen days.

At

were accepted by the Sultan, and he received a promise in writing from Mr. Birch last the proposals

paid two thousand dollars per On the same day a letter was brought to month. Abdullah, by the colonial steamer, consenting that that

he should be

the government should be carried on in the Sultan's name ; another letter being at the same time conveyed to Mr. Birch for the Rajah Muda, or heir to the throne, Yusuf, offering to

make him

sultan if Abdullah

had declined the Governor's proposals as to the government. Matters however still hung fire, the Sultan hesitating to sign the proclamations placed before him by Mr. Birch, and it was only under the pressure of a threat to send the Governor's letter to

Yusuf that the Sultan

affixed to the proclamations his

chop, or seal.

One

of these proclamations, in the

name

of the

Sultan, announced to the people of the country that it

had been found advisable to place the land for its government in the hands of British officers, who

better

were to try cases but in matters of life and death no capital sentence could be executed without the ;

Sultan's consent.

The other proclamation

dealt with

"SARONG" AND

368

the

new arrangements

of the revenue, and carried on

by

"KElS."

made

to be

as to the gathering

stopping the illegal

squeezing

Following upon these, a

the chiefs.

proclamation was issued by the Governor at SingaBut pore, and was afterwards sent up to Mr. Birch.

meanwhile troubles were thickening. Three slave women had fled from the Sultan, and sought and obtained

protection at the

was receiving

visits

from his

Eesidency chiefs,

and

;

is

the

Sultan

believed to

have given his signed consent to the murder of Mr. Birch. Then the women were claimed, and consent

was given

for

them

to go

;

but Mr. Birch declared

now he

held full authority from the Sultan, he that, should interfere if the women required his protection.

The for

plot too

was thickening

in another direction

;

communications were being opened up with ex-

Sultan Ismail, and

it

was in consideration what steps

should be taken to defeat the British authority. At last matters came to a climax for soon after, that ;

is

at the

the

end of October, copies of the Governor's and proclamations were brought to the

Sultan's

Kesidency at Banda Baru, a salute of twenty-one guns

same

time, bullets

and were posted under ;

while just about the

were being made, powder obtained,

and men were gathered preparatory to a rising. On the 1st November Mr. Birch ascended the

river

dragon boat, the same given in the illusaccompanied by Lieutenant Abbott,

Perak in

his

tration.

He was

E.N., and a small native guard, in a large and small

MURDER OF MR. boat, as escort

tions.

369

and they made their way up to Passir soon as it was known that they had

;

Sala, where, as

arrived,

BIRCH.

announcements were sent round in

Passir Sala

Lela, a chief

all direc-

was the residence of the Maharajah all through a most

who had shown

determined opposition to the Governor's proposed new method of administering the affairs of the country ;

was danger apprehended, that the two dined and slept that night on board the Resident's boat, in the belief of their absolute security.

but so

little

officers

The next morning of Perak

a memorable one in the history Lieutenant Abbott crossed the river for

awhile to shoot, and Mr. Birch shortly after sent Arshad, his interpreter, into the village of Passir Sala, to post

the Governor's and Sultan's proclamations. This was resented, however, by the Malays, who kept tearing

them down

were posted up which so enraged the interpreter that at last he struck one of their number with a stick, an indignity which was at as fast as they

once resented with the bleeding to the river

kris,

;

and the poor fellow ran in. This was the

and jumped

a cry of amok immediately ensued, and the infuriated Malays, armed with spears and krises, made a rush in a body down

spark that set

fire

to the river-bank,

bathing-house, his revolver.

pletely

He

to

the train

;

where Mr. Birch was ashore

at the

on guard with a however, be taken com-

orderly being

let his leader,

by surprise, and

into the river, holding

at a great disadvantage, leaping

up

his revolver,

and swimming 2 B

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

370

Mr. Birch was a lithe active man, of undaunted bravery, and had he been in the boat, where

for his

life.

he was well provided with firearms and spears, he would have sold his life most dearly. As it was he was savagely attacked, some of the Malays driving their keen limbings through the rattan mat that formed a screen, while others

went to the end of the bath, and,

wounded Eesident struggled up out of the water, one man cut at him with a sword, when he sank, and for the time being was seen no more. Meanwhile Arshad, wounded as he was, made for the dragon boat, and got hold of the gunwale, trying to sustain himself; when two of the Malays jumped into the boat, and cut at him with their swords till he lost his hold, and floated down the stream to be as the

picked up by the coxswain of Mr. Birch who had in the melee swum off to one of the two boats which ;

accompanied the dragon, and who now tried to save the interpreter, and dragged him in. A portion of the Sepoys were in this boat, and they

escort of

commenced for the

now

Malays, driving them off but as this boat now dropped down

firing at the

time

;

the stream they took courage and followed, firing at the guard and then taking a sampan, they crossed the ;

and began firing again, scaring the escort so that few more shots were exto the water. took they changed, and then the small boat was allowed to

river

A

proceed in peace farther

it

;

but before they had gone much

was found that the

interpreter,

who by

his

MURDER OF

MR. BIRCH.

371

commenced the trouble, was dead, while the Sepoys and boatmen were killed and

rash act had several of

wounded, the larger boat having been sunk during the disturbance.

The native guard had been ordered by Mr. Birch not to use their firearms, for he had said if the Malays

made

men

a disturbance he would

were cleaning their

rifles,

In

leave.

and were

fact,

so taken

the

by

surprise by the large party of well-armed Malays that resistance seems to have been the last thing dreamed

was

of; while the whole attack

so

sudden and un-

expected that nothing seems to have been done to save Mr. Birch the English companion on whose aid he could have counted, and without whose lead the ;

Sepoys seem to have been

As

being far away. soon as the disturbance was over, Mr. Birch's helpless,

dragon boat was taken by one of the chiefs for a short distance down the stream, and plundered the principal ;

part of the Kesident's things being afterwards found in the house of the Maharajah Lela, who was considered to be the leading spirit in the attack, aided

by Datu Sagor and proof is not wanting of the preparations that had been made No doubt the train was for the cowardly attack. another

chief,

known

already laid, and applied.

In

it

as the

;

wanted but the spark

fact, just before his death,

noticed a body of about forty Malays,

to

be

Mr. Birch had all

armed with

spears and krises, crowding towards his boat, and warned them to keep away but he evidently felt so ;

2 B 2

372

-

"SARONG" AND

"

KRIS."

secure that he took no further heed to their proximity, The excuse although such a gathering was unusual. for the rising

was furnished by the

interpreter's act,

one which he paid for dearly in the loss of his own while he was the immediate cause of the death of life ;

a valuable public officer, whose body was some four days afterwards taken away, towed behind a boat, by

some Bugis men, and was afterwards found ashore in: the jungle, about two hundred yards from the river, by Kajah Deiu, a Bugis. Lieutenant Abbott was in the meantime unaware of

what had taken

place, being absent for about three

hours, shooting on the

farther shore

return to the river, he was

;

but,

on his

met by the Datu Sagor,

who had but a short time before taken part in the? emeute, and now told the lieutenant that there had been a disturbance at Passir Sala, advising him take refuge in the jungle, as his a minute where he then was.

life

was not

to>

safe for

This advice savoured strongly of treachery for, under the circumstances, concealment in the jungle ;

would have been a very hopeless proceeding, and must have resulted in the fugitive being hunted out and shot down. It is evident that Lieutenant Abbott took this view of the position

alone there with his one-

companion and rejecting this advice, and feeling that with his leader and escort gone, his best plan w as to T

the Residency, he watched his opportunity, and seized a small canoe, or dug-out, in which he and his

flee to

LIEUT.

ABBOTT AND MR. SWETTENHAM.

follower embarked, so as to allow

it

and paddled

to drop

off into

down with

373

mid-stream,

the current to

Banda Baru. If he had had any doubt before of the wisdom of trusting to himself, instead of the Datu Sagor, it was swept away directly for fire was opened upon him ;

from both banks, the gauntlet of which he ran till he was beyond the reach of the Malays, and arrived at the Eesidency in safety, where he at once made up his mind to put it in a state of defence. Fearing that an

attack would soon follow, he called in

the Sepoys and police to the small island upon which the ResiMr. Swettcnham, of the Straits dency was built. all

Civil Service, who had a few days previously ascended the river, for some distance, on the same mission of

posting the proclamations, heard on his way back of ,the events at Passir Sala, where he was told that the

Malays were on the look-out to kill him. He, too, was advised by a friendly rajah; but the advice he received was not to land, but to retreat; and this he did, making the best of his

way down

the river under the cover of

the night, an unusual mist fortunately prevailing at the time when he reached Passir Sala, and concealing

he was safely by and he finally succeeded in joining Lieutenant Abbott at the Resi-

his little craft

till

;

dency. Thereupon the determination was made to hold the place, and defend the flag to the last.

The island being only separated by a small creek from the bank of the river, and having but sixty men

"&UBOW

374

at his disposal, Lieutenant tion, told off his four

ments to work the

AND

"KRIS."

Abbott entrenched

his posi-

seamen to the native detachfield-pieces

generally put the place in a

good

on the

spot,

and

state for resisting

the enemy. But previous to this being fully accomplished he had written to the Sultan, telling him of the murder of Mr. Birch, and asking

him

to collect

men and come

this

Abdullah

to his assistance.

To

responded by coming at once, accompanied by the Laksamana, the Shahbandar, and a large following. Mr.

Swettenham, however, did not

feel full confidence in

the presence of these Malay chiefs and their followers in the

little

British camp,

where they might

easily

convey information to the enemy and, consequently, while accepting their services, requested them politely, ;

but with firmness, to move lower down the river, ready to act when called upon, and this was acceded to at once.

CHAPTER XXXII. Repulse Burial of Mr. Birch and CapProceedings of the Government Reinforcements from China Capture of Passir Sala Mr. Birch's dragon boat Troops from India Proceedings of the northern column

The attack on Pas sir Sala tain Innes

Qualla

THE

Kungsa and Kota Lamah.

young Englishmen at the Residency was a perilous one but their prompt behaviour was not without its influence on the people, and they position of the

;

were not long left in suspense for the news having been conveyed to Penang by Captain Welner, of the ;

Straits

Government steamer Pluto, the Lieutenant-

moment

governor lost not a

ment

in sending off a detach-

Her Majesty's 10th Foot, and some police, under the local head of the force, the Hon. H. At the same time, Captain Innes, of the Plunket. of

Royal Engineers, an

officer

of great judgment,

was

and Mr. Kynnersley, of The news of interpreter.

sent to act as commissioner,

the Straits Civil Service, as

the coming of these reinforcements was conveyed in a letter from Captain Innes, and was gladly received at the Residency, as little force

it

contained the information that the

would be

at

Banda Baru on the following

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

376

On

the arrival of the troops no time was lost, and Mr. Swettenpreparations being hurried on day.

;

ham's plan for attacking the enemy by sending a small force up each bank of the river, supported by

two guns lashed

in the boats,

was generally approved,

while rockets were also to be taken in the boats for use if

required. It

w as T

at this time that the

body of Mr. Birch was

the Bugis who were its bearers giving information of there being a strong stockade at Passir Sala, and another four or five hundred yards inland.

brought

in,

The party marched

to the attack on

November

7th,

preceded by Malay scouts, and accompanied by a rocket party with four blue-jackets, the troops being under the command of Captain Booth and Lieutenant Elliot.

On

approaching the stockade, the attacking party had many difficulties to hinder them the thickness of the Indian corn and padi, and the trees, fences, and height of the stockade, which, in spite of their efforts, was but little injured by the rocket party. A heavy

field of

fire was opened upon the little force as soon as they came within range of the stockade, which was found and in spite of the vigorous to be held in force But the reply of our troops, the men fell fast. ;

kept up until the infantry were close Malay stronghold, when Lieutenant Elliot-

advance was to the

up was wounded tree.

another

The

still

severely, firing

of the

and

his party fell

was however

10th

still

men went down

back behind a kept on, ;

and on

and his

ATTACK ON PASSIR 8ALA. being carried to the tree where the lieutenant was taken, it was found that Captain Booth was also wounded, lieutenant and Captain Innes had both been taken to the rear, the latter shot through the heart.

and the

Under these circumstances,

three officers of the

little force being hors de combat, it was considered wiser to retire until reinforcements could be procured ;

wounded

and

after carrying the

was

fired into the stockade,

dened with

They

to the rear, a volley

and the

little

party, bur-

injured men, steadily began to retreat. had a distance of about a couple of miles to its

traverse to reach the boats, where

and proceeded

to

all

were embarked,

the Eesidency, the Malays

being the attack, and making no attempt at pursuit, or even at hindering the re-embarsatisfied

with beating

off

kation.

This was a severe repulse, the losses of the little force being no less than seventeen killed and wounded,

two of the

killed being Captain Innes

and a man of the

whose body afterwards floated down the river, shot through the head and chest. Fortunately, how10th,

ever, surgical assistance

were well attended

was

at hand,

and the wounded

to.

Mr. Birch was buried beneath the palms close by the Eesidency

a faithful representation of the place

being given in the accompanying engraving, produced from the series of photographs taken by the writer

during one of his visits to Banda Baru. This spot was chosen for Mr. Birch's interment, as

"8AMQNG" AND

378

"KRIS."

being one of the portions of the jungle which he had cleared for about two or three hundred yards along the bank for the site of the

new Eesidency he meant

where the barracks, armoury, and magazine had been established, as shown in the cut, with a to build,

police station a little lower down.

On

the occasion of

the bringing in of the body, and its interment, the people, who were greatly attached to their leader,

made bitter lamentation. It was an impressive scene, the more especially as it took place at a time of peril, when no man felt that his life was safe. The service was read

by Mr. Swettenham, and due military honours were accorded to the fallen man, three volleys being fired by the Sikhs over his grave just as the sun was sinking. Only a short time later the ground

had

form a grave for Captain Innes, who was buried with the same ceremonies beside Mr. Birch, as the moon was rising on the night to be again disturbed to

of the

day on which he

fell.

A

few days later the Governor visited Perak in person, bringing with him in H.M.S. Fly, Captain Bruce, a detachment of H.M. 80th Foot with some

and leaving his instructions with Major Dunlop, E.A., who had come up as Commissioner, he sent on also H.M.S. Thistle, Captain Stirling, which artillery,

was then

at Klang,

farther

down

however, to leaving Singapore, the

the coast.

Prior,

Governor had

in-

structed the Colonial Secretary, Mr. C. J. Irving, to to telegraph to Hong Kong for more troops, and

REINFORCEMENTS FROM CHINA.

379

summon H.M.S. Modeste from Labuan; and with praiseworthy despatch General Oolborne arrived at Singapore by the 16th, with three hundred of H.M.

80th Foot.

But before the general had had time to leave Singapore, Major Dunlop and Captain Stirling had concerted measures for a combined attack upon Passir At the same time it may be Sala by land and water.

mentioned in passing, that the Governor's idea for reducing the Malays' to submission was for one force to proceed

up the

river

by

Passir Sala, while another

crossed the country from the Laroot river to Qualla

Kungsa, so as to proceed down the Perak river

two points giving a

these

practical control of the country.

Major Dunlop and Captain Stirling's plan was carried out on November 16th, and in this attack

upon Passir

Sala,

Sultan Abdullah,

who had been

applied help against the rebellious chiefs? furnished sixteen boats for the transport of the men and artillery, but without " polers." This difficulty to

for

was however got over by the seamen, though it was an onerous duty for men unaccustomed to the work, and in a sharp stream. The plans wr ere well carried Captain Stirling's naval force taking up its position in the river, and Major Dunlop's land forces theirs out,

near Passir Panjang, bugle signals being arranged so as to keep up the co-operation when the two forces

The fire was opened from the stockade upon the boats in the river, and vigorously kept up

were separated.

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

380

on both

while leaving the jungle, the land forces advanced through the thick Indian corn till fire was sides

;

opened upon them. Then a gun (a 12-pound howitzer) was brought up, and after four or five rounds of caseshot had been discharged into the stockade silenced, and the troops dashed in to find

its fire it

was

deserted.

was a strong place, with deep ditch, earth- work, wattled fence, and pointed bamboos, while it was

It

armed with "

a

large

iron

gun and a small pivot

lelah."

These guns were spiked and thrown into the river, and the force then moved on through a dense plantation of bananas

till fire

was opened upon them from another

stockade, a short distance from the spot where Mr. Birch was murdered. The Malays in the second

stockade were driven out by the blue-jackets, and the attention of all was then directed to a formidable one close into the village,

No

time was

lost, for

which was

firing

on the

the eagerness of the

boats.

men was

roused by the sight of Mr. Birch's boat and the bathhouse where he was murdered, and with a rush they charged and took the stockade, the land and river

same moment, to find that Here were found four the Malays had retreated. guns, one being the small brass piece taKen from forces entering it at the

Mr. Birch's boat iron 6 -pounder,

;

two were

lelahs,

and the other an

which had just burst, evidently having

been struck by one of the English shells. By this last stroke, Mr. Birch's dragon boat and

CAPTURE OF PASSIR SALA.

381

were recovered, and the village was in the possession of the English, who now turned their attention to the Maharajah's house, which was found his row-boat

by an

to be strongly fortified, being surrounded

earth-

work eight feet high, with ditch containing water, and on the top of the earthwork a stockade formed of The place might have been short sharpened bamboos. held and given a good deal of trouble to capture, but it had evidently been left in a hurry, and on search

being made, a number of the articles belonging to Mr. Birch, which had been plundered from his boat,

were found.

The

was

village

then

burnt,

and

soon

after

lower

down, the Datu Sagor, who, as we have seen, either took part in or countenanced the murder of Mr. Birch, by being present at the time. This

Campong

a place a

Gaja,

little

residence of the

place had also been fortified with a couple of stockades,

but very

little

attempt was made to defend

it.

At

the other stockades, however, a gallant defence wasmade, and the enemy must have suffered heavily.

They however their

retreated in good order, carrying off arms with their wounded and dead the principal ;

trophies obtained, beside the guns, being the war-gong, shot through by a bullet, and several drums, with

powder and cartridges in some quantity. The loss on our side was not one man killed, while only two men, one of

whom

wounded.

was a

civilian following the forces,

were

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

382

Consequent upon the condition of Perak, and the inflammable nature of the Malay character, the other

began to show strong symptoms of a rising, as contingent upon the Perak outbreak, and further

states if

reinforcements

being

urgently

appealed to by telegram

;

needed,

India

was

and so rapid now are the

when summoned by wire that by the 27th of the same month the first portion of the

movements

of forces

It was so admirably reinforcement reached Penang. adapted for the service in hand, so complete in itself

composition, and showed throughhad been contrived by a prevailing master-

in every detail of

how

out

all

its

be well here to give an account in

mind, that

it

full of this

miniature army designed for jungle fight-

may

ing.

The head-quarters and 600 men

of

(Buffs), Col. Cox, C.B.; head-quarters

H.M. 3rd Eegt.

and 400 men of

3-5th

Eoyal Artillery, with four mountain guns (7-pounder M.L.E. steel, 150lb.); two 5-Jr-inch mortars, with 500 rounds per piece, and 200 1st

Ghoorkhas

;

rockets; a field telegraph of 100 miles of wire, one superintendent, and ten signallers ; a company of the

Madras Sappers and Miners a proportion of medical officers, doolies, and doolie-bearers for conveyance of ;

with sea provisions for six weeks and shore provisions for ten days, camp equipage, light tents, sick

;

and "Lascars' pawls." This force was capable of and was composed with

division into three parts,

this

view in

officers,

men,

TROOPS FROM INDIA. equipment, guns, and ammunition.

383

Each ship had a

complete equipment for the number of troops aboard,

make them independent

so as to

of the

movement

of

the other vessels. Brig. -Gen.

Eoss was in command, with

staff as

Major Mark Heathcote, Assistant Quartermaster-General Major H. J. Hawkins, Major of

follows

:

;

Brigade; Lieutenant Preston, Rifle Brigade, A.D.C.; Capt. Badcock, Deputy- Assist. Commissary-General

Major Twigge, R.E., Capt.

Crawford, E.E.,

;

Lieut.

North, E.E., Field Engineers.

came from Bombay, and Admiral Eyder sent from China H.M.S. Egeria and Ringdove; H.M.S. Modeste, Capt. Buller, senior naval officer, which was on her way when the disturH.M.S. Philomel

also

bances

commenced, reached the Straits about 20th November.

the

General Colborne (now Sir F. Colborne, K.C.B.) had now a considerable force under his command,

one that must have made a great impression on the Malay chiefs, as an example of the power and promptitude of England when called upon to maintain the dignity of the Empire, and avenge so cruel an insult as the present to her flag. In conjunction with the Governor, then, it was arranged to hold the

country until the murderers of the late Eesident were given up a reward having already been issued for the capture of the Maharajah Lela duly rendered for the outrage.

and

satisfaction

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

384

The Indian column,

was

which

appointed

to-

occupy the upper portion of the country, had to march

by way the

of Laroot, a distance of twenty-seven miles pass they had to traverse has been men-

tioned in the early part of this work

arrangements having been made and stations appointed for their encampment. In this work the Muntri lent every furnishing elephants and men for the improvement of the track, which is now occupied by the first good road which was made in

assistance in his power,

Perak.

by

Detachments were

left

at Bukit

Gantang

and Campong Boy ah, with which places communicathese being spots that had been tions were kept up ;

chosen as

sites for

encampments by Captain Satter-

thwaite, E.E., in concert with Captain Speedy, the

writer being the Commissioner and Mr.

the Deputy- commissioner with this

W. Maxwell

force.

The southern column was under the command of General Colborne in person, with Majors Lloyd and Huskisson as Brigade-Majors; and Commissary Eobinson,

of the Control Department, a gentleman who,

from previous most valuable

visits to the country,

assistance.

The

artillery force

manded by Major (now Colonel) officers in charge were Drs.

was able to render

Nicolls.

was com-

The medical

Randall and Orton, the

whom was

wounded, and is since dead. Major Dunlop was the Commissioner with this force, and Mr. Swettenham Deputy-commissioner.

former of

The naval portion was under the command

of

THE NORTHERN COLUMN.

385

Captain Buller, C.B., and the naval brigades formed from it were under Captain Buller and Captain the former with General Colborne and Garforth the southern column, and the latter with BrigadierGeneral Eoss in the north.

The northern column duly crossed the country from Laroot to Qualla Kungsa, which became the and it was while military station for the time being the troops were here that an absurd alarm took place. ;

An

any moment supervision was exer-

attack from the Malays was

deemed imminent, and cised

during

the

night

careful

at

over the various sentries

therefore a sudden outcry from one of the lowers,

who had been

was quite

lying asleep,

camp

;

fol-

sufficient

produce a stampede amongst the undisciplined portion of the people, and it was some time before the

to

cause of the cries could be

made

out.

The matter

was very simple the alarmist had been lying asleep on his back beneath a cocoa-nut tree, and one of the :

huge husk-covered nuts, being over-ripe, had become dislodged in the night, and in falling had struck the poor fellow in the epigastric region, causing, no doubt, as

much

pain as fear. The chief value of this northern column was in

its

Upper Perak, where it kept the disaffected in check, and thoroughly prevented them from

presence in chiefs

combining in any active measures against the Government, and also from joining those below stream in the disturbances.

It

had however

its

actual work,

among 2 c

"SARONG" AND "KEIS."

386

the principal events of which was its attack upon Kotah Lamah a place that had long been noted as a resort for the worst characters,

and freebooters of the

In

vilest description. fact, Mr. Birch, during one of his visits was threatened by the people with loaded

On the arrival of the troops at Qualla Kungsa guns. The acts of the these people were not openly hostile. however at for interof the last called head men place ference

and

;

as

it

became necessary

to

make an

example of the village before the departure of the For troops, it was determined to disarm the people. purpose a small force was sent up the river beyond Qualla Kungsa, and the demand for arms to

this

be given up was acceded to on being made by Captain Speedy but armed men were seen rushing off, in two The military force or three instances, to the jungle. ;

made

their

way

right through the

campong and back

without being opposed and after this General Boss and his party landed at the middle of the village, and ;

were searching the various houses to see that they contained none but women and children, when, under well maintained from the jungle, they were assailed by a body of fifty or sixty speararmed Malays, who had been hidden amongst the trees.

cover of a brisk

fire,

men suddenly rushed

and nearly succeeded in surrounding the little party, which had to retire fighting as they went, the marines and sailors mainThese

out,

taining a most gallant front till the river was reached. Shortly before this several officers had gone in the

KOTAH LAMAH.

387

and Major Hawkins is supposed been following them when he received a

direction of the river,

to

have

frightful spear his

A

chest.

wound, the blade passing right through sailor

named

Sloper ran to his

help,

two Malays who were running up to -continue the attack, when Major Hawkins is reported to " Save yourself, you can do me no have exclaimed and shot

:

good now." the river

The

now

officers

who had gone on towards tried to move him, but

returned, and

they were compelled in turn to

fall

back towards the

Surgeon Townsend being the first to be assailed by three Malays with spears. One he shot with his revolver, but the man struck him down in falling, and river,

his

two companions dashed

in to

spear him,

when

they were bayoneted by a couple of the seamen. This engagement was successful, however, from the fact that

arms were taken, including lelahs and a 12-pounder iron gun, which was spiked and thrown into the river. ,

large quantity of

Far from being disconcerted by their people of stockades,

losses,

the

Kotah Lamah began soon after erecting and were guilty of so many lawless acts,

that the Governor finally decided that a severe chastisement should be inflicted upon them, and for this

purpose he consulted with General Colborne. The consequence was that a further expedition was arranged to be carried out against the Kotah Lamah people, the great

body

river, to the

of

whom had now

two

villages of

gone farther up the Enggar and Prek; and this 2 c 2

"SARONG

388

11

AND

"KRIS."

expedition was somewhat Lurried by an appeal for help

which came from Eajah Muda Yusuf, whose people had been attacked by a body of the Kotah Lainah This party people, under Toh Sri Lela, their chief.

by some of the Ghoorkhas, but unfortunately two of Eajah Yusuf s friendly Malays were killed and two wounded by mistake. was driven

off

The next day our

were sent up the river to Enggar, where the Malays opened fire from two or three lelahs, but after a short and sharp return fire forces

they were effectually driven out of their village. A portion of the force was then directed to bivouac in the village for the night, and then move forward and attack Prek, to which place Toh Sri Lela and his followers had

Here, the next day, the enemy were again driven out, making a precipitate retreat, a result which, when achieved, was followed by the return fled.

of our troops to Qualla Kungsa, the

I

Lamah

power of the Kotah

chief being completely broken.

CHAPTER The southern column Stockade-fighting

Terrachee valley Channer's attack

XXXIII.

Blanja The march through the jungle Capture of Kinta Flight of Ismail The The stockades at Bukit Putoos Captain The rising at Klang Suppression of the

revolts.

THE brunt fell

of the

work however

in the Perak outbreak

upon the southern column, which had

to

be

brought up the river in boats against the rapid stream, " the means of progression being by poling," which was admirably performed by the blue-jackets whose behaviour throughout, whether in boating or skirmishing in the jungle, was always gallant and deserving of praise.

It

was on December 8th that the

Baru, but with so large a flotilla crowded with troops the current

forces left

Banda

forty-five boats-

strong,

and the

heat of the sun very great, only about eight miles were accomplished on that day and the little army ;

encamped on an island just above Passir Sala. The 9th, 10th, and llth were passed in the same slow toil and on the 12th the force encamped about a couple of miles below Blanja, the site of their

up the

river

;

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

390

for here the Sultan Ismail had projected operations his place of residence.

had

The next day the troops marched into Blanja by eight o'clock in the morning, but to find no enemy for the news of the coming of the little force had pre;

ceded them, and the place was deserted. side

lay

the

of a

traces

hasty flight

packages prepared for conveying

:

On

every boxes and

away lay in

all direc-

tions, but had evidently proved too cumbersome for the ex-Sultan's retreat, and had therefore been aban-

doned.

Had

there been

any doubt

retreat, the information could

tained, for the

as to the line of

have been readily ob-

way open was by

the elephant-track,

running nearly at right angles to the river towards the interior, where the capital of Perak Kinta lay, on the river of that name the river which, after a course nearly parallel with the Perak, empties itself into the latter near the Eesidency at

Banda Baru.

This elephant-track presented plenty of obstacles to the passage of a little army for the peculiarity, already described, of the elephant, in always placing ;

its

feet in the

are in

mud and

same

holes,

no matter how deep they

water, soon results in the formation of

a series of pits, which are almost impassable, except by the huge animals themselves, who, feeling satisfied of the safety of a place where an elephant has planted his feet before,

derous

might

way

wallow through them in a slow pon-

that

is

remarkable,

easily be found.

when

firmer ground

Under the circumstances

of a

MARCH THROUGH THE JUNGLE.

391

beaten track being in such a deplorable state, it might be supposed that the troops could make a fresh one

but it must be thoroughly under; stood that, saving to wild animals, the jungle is impassable, presenting as it does a dense green wall of vegetation on either side, that cannot be penetrated, to the right or left

on account of the manner in which the

trees

and

undergrowth are matted and woven together by In addition, there are creepers and the wiry rattans. thorns of the most pungent kind, one of which is

known by

the natives as tigers' claws, from its hooked and formidable nature, while to crown, or rather to

form a base

to,

these difficulties, the soil

is

often one

continuous marsh or swamp, covered with vivid green moss, which gives way beneath the traveller's feet. This density of the jungle is the more insisted on here from the fact of its being explanatory of the difficulties of the troops, and to prepare the reader for the statements of the

march being arrested by the

felling a tree or two, so that

they lay across the track. To the ordinary reader, the obvious way of escape from such a difficulty seems to be to strike

Malays

out into the jungle, as might be done in a forest-path in our own country but this can only be accomplished by literally cutting, hacking, and clearing a ;

way through

the wilderness of vines and creepers.

Three hours after the arrival of the troops, Blanja

was garrisoned, and the force, now quitting the river, took to the woods to cross to Kinta, where a

"BlBDNP* AND "KRIS."

392

severe fight was anticipated, in consequence of the reports that had come in respecting the collecting together there of disaffected chiefs, now joined by the

who was

ex-Sultan Ismail,

stated to be sheltering the to have the intention of protect-

Maharajah Lela, and To meet these ing him.

difficulties

the

little

land

two hundred infantry and forty artillerymen, with two 7 -pounder rifled guns, and

force

consisted of

forty seamen, with a couple of rocket tubes

being

a

that

missile

the rocket

consternation

creates

great the Malays. Consequent upon the difficulties amongst of the task, and the weight of the guns which had to be dragged over and through a variety of serious obstacles, only four miles were advanced in two hours

and a

half,

and

at the

end of

this time the first

of the presence of the enemy was found in the shape of several trees felled across the track, inter-

symptom

laced with

bushes, behind which the

Malays were

stand, receiving the advance guard of the force with a sharp fire of musketry, which resulted in

making a

Dr. Randall being severely wounded.

A

halt

was immediately

enemy was held

called,

in play with return

and while the fire,

for the

most

part at a completely invisible foe, one of the 7-pounder guns was got to the front, well served, and a few

rounds sent crashing through the trees in the direction of the enemy, in company with a couple of The Malays then retreated, and the obstacles rockets.

having been hacked and cleared away, the troops^

STOCKADE-FIGHTING.

who had

suffered

393

no other casualty, proceeded, feeling

cautiously along a jungle path that might have been easily defended by an able enemy. Nothing

their

way

occurred for a couple

further

of hours,

when the

advance was again checked by trees felled across the path and another innocuous fire of musketry but a ;

rocket sent hissing through the trees a second time dislodged the Malays, and the march continued for

another half mile, further progress.

when

a strong stockade arrested This, however, the enemy did not

attempt to hold, but evacuated it before it was reached by the troops, who found plenty of traces of hasty shape of water-bottles and sleeping-mats beneath the huts which had been set up the idea

flight in the left

;

having apparently been to turn this into what it could a very formidable p]ace for easily have been made defence.

The stockade having been destroyed, the advance was continued till the troops came to a halt, having succeeded in dragging their guns and camp necessaries about eight miles through the jungle. This halt was called after every effort had been made to overtake Ismail,

making

who was

evidently only a short distance ahead, his escape to Kinta on But the elephants.

progress of our

men was

too slow, for they had tocarry the heavy 24-pound rockets and tubes through a series of quagmires, and at last all hope of overtaking

the ex-Sultan was given

up

for that evening.

The

next day was spent in getting up supplies, and on the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

394

following day the

little force

marched

to a place called

Pappan, some six or seven miles farther

the general

rate of progress through the dense jungle being only

about one mile an hour.

From

here Mr. Swettenhani, in

company with a

and a body of Malay

scouts, proceeded

friendly rajah

onward, finding the road grow worse, consisting at last, as he describes it, of nothing but logs, roots of trees, and elephant holes full of water but the bad ground ;

was passed

at last,

and he halted a short distance from

Kinta, to send forward scouts to discover the where-

abouts of the enemy, and two more to give information to General Colborne of his position.

The next morning the war-gongs were heard close and an attack was evidently intended, when the advance guard of the forces came up, but beyond at hand,

a

little

scattered firing

arrival of the

nothing took place

main body of the

troops,

when

till

the

rockets

were discharged in the direction of Kinta and a campong close at hand. These were followed by shells as soon as the gun was brought up. There was a little firing then amongst the Malay scouts, who encountered the scattered enemy ; and the advance continuing, the force at last stood on the banks of the Kinta river, here about fifty yards in width, with the village upon an island in mid-stream. As the skirmishers advanced

the enemy began firing upon them, from their lelahs, but these were soon silenced by the gun and rockets,

and the

river being

waded, an entry was made into the

CAPTURE OF KINTA. little capital,

which the

deserted, Ismail

stream

report

and

soldiers

395

found now to be quite

up the saying that the Maharajah Lela was his followers

having

fled

with him, and that the whole party were well furnished with elephants, the departure taking place just before the entry of the troops.

The troops then encamped in the deserted village, and on making search they found nine brass guns by way of trophies. It was soon found, however, that Ismail had contrived to take with

him the whole

the Perak regalia, his purpose being

make

his

of

apparently to

way due north, and to cross into Patani, on

the borders of Queclah.

The commanding officer had,

however, though unsuccessful in capturing the exSultan, the satisfaction of making this most toilsome march of three days through the jungle, and taking

possession of the capital without the loss of a single man, excepting Dr. Eandall, who was wounded soon after the start

from Blanja,

The troops now thoroughly occupied the country,

and beyond a few petty attacks upon boats and isolated police by the Malays, all of which were promptly punished, no attempt was made at resistwhile at the beginning of January reliable information was brought in of the whereabouts of Ismail and the Maharajah Lela, the people friendly

ance

;

to our

Government having been stimulated by the

large rewards offered for the capture of these chiefs.

The report stated that Ismail was

in "the

mountains

"8ARQNQ" AND "KRIS."

390

near the source of the Perak river, when an armed force of police were sent to ask the co-operation of a

The attack was

friendly native chief for the capture.

made, but Ismail and the greater part of his people escaped once more, though with the loss of nine followers

and seventeen elephants.

were killed

one being reported a

Pandak Indut, who was believed murderer of Mr. Birch

more of the

Four of the men chief,

and another

to be

the

actual

while a short time later three

assassins were secured.

Meanwhile the proceedings in Perak had not been without their

effect in another part of the peninsula ; matters having assumed a threatening appearance at Sunghie Ujong, while the Malays in the neighbourhood of our settlement at Malacca were becoming so

disorderly that the

Government had further

to con-

what

steps should be taken for quelling the movements of the lawless in these parts. sider

SuDghie Ujong Perak, from which

is it

a state lying to the south of is separated by the state of

Salangore, while on the south it nearly approaches the boundary of our settlement of Malacca.

H.M.S.

Thistle

was

called

into

service,

and a

portion of the Indian column of General Ross was detached for service in the disturbed districts, the various reports coming in being of a very alarming Colonel Anson went as the Government tendency. representative,

Before their

with Mr. Neubronner as interpreter.

arrival,

however,

hostilities

had com-

THE TERRACHEE VALLEY. inenced

;

for the

Malays who were

397

disaffected

had

been collecting in armed force at a place in Sunghie called,

Ujong,

Terrachee,

and made

a

threatening

upon Mr. Daly, who is the Government Surveyor, and who was engaged in making certain topoattack

graphical researches. They confined themselves, however, to threats ; but on Captain Murray, who was in

charge of troops there, coming upon the scene, he was short skirmish ensued, fired at by the Malays.

A

which resulted in Captain Murray's men running short of ammunition, and having to retire towards the Eesi-

dency when the Malays followed in a very threatening manner, stockading a pass in the Terrachee valley, and also occupying a village called Faroe, a few miles ;

distant.

During the next few days the disaffected kept increasing in numbers and erecting stockades, where-

upon a reconnaissance

was

made by

the

troops

under Lieutenant Hinxman, who found the enemy so strongly entrenched that he and his men were Later on, however, the Malays were attacked, and compelled to retreat from the village of

forced to retire.

Faroe, the Lieutenant-governor of Malacca, the Hon. C. B. Plunket, being present on the occcasion, and

under Bird and Skinner, who ably supported the small detachment of H.M. 10th Foot. The Malays, says Captain Murray, numbered from

some native

police,

three to six hundred men, and were encouraged by the greatest men in the country. But in spite of

398

"'BiMOtSFff"

their

AND

"KRIS."

number and strong defences Lieutenant Hinx-

man's small force carried

all

of the bayonet drove the

before

enemy

it,

and

at the point

in full rout

from

their stockades.

enemy made for the Terrachee valley, where they took up a very strong position at a To give some idea of the place called Bukit Putoos.

From

here the

kind of country in which the troops had to operate, it must be understood that though about Faroe the land was tolerably open, though uncultivated, farther on towards Terrachee the jungle became thick, with a narrow ascending path, which gradually grew steeper,

till

it

reached

the

narrow

of Bukit Putoos, which forms

mountain.

Here the path

the

defile

way

or

across

pass the

only eighteen inches wide at the bottom, the sides of the rock being nearly is

perpendicular, and twenty feet high, so that it was only possible for one man to go forward at a time, and

a bold

enemy might have kept an army

at bay.

In

addition there was the jungle on either side, with sharp mountain streams to cross, rough boulders, the

path of the worst, and the enemy in front, who had stockaded the place to the best of their ability while ;

at the various approaches trees

way made

perilous with ranjows

were

felled,

and the

the spikes of bam-

boo or palm these people force into the ground, with their points towards the enemy. the relief forces coming into the country, they marched for the Terrachee valley, and finally

Upon

CAPTAIN CHANNELS ATTACK. were

divided

two

into

Lieutenant- Colonel Hill,

columns,

the

first

390

under

who had with him Captain

Murray, Assistant-resident, Stirling, E.N., Captain with about one hundred Ghoorkhas, a naval brigade from H.M.S. Thistle, ten artillerymen, a 7-pounder This little army was gun, and some rockets. directed to make a detour, marching for the villages of Pantay and Terrachee, while the other division,

steel

under Lieutenant-Colonel Clay, made direct for the pass.

This latter force consisted of a

H.M. 10th Foot, with

artillerymen,

detachment of under Captain

Eigg Lieutenant North, R.E., with intrenching tools ; a hundred and fifty Ghoorkhas an Arab contingent ;

;

under Captain de Fontaine; a gun, a mortar, and some rockets.

The day

after the

Colonel Clay's was

marching of Colonel

Hill's force,

set in motion, so as to attack the

pass in front as soon as time had been given for the former to make a detour and come upon the enemy in the rear.

On

reaching the foot of the pass, a reconnoitring party, consisting of a small body of Ghoorkhas, was

despatched under Captain Channer, and after some delay he sent word back that, on account of the density of the jungle, it was impossible to discover where the stockade was situated

commanding

;

officer for

when orders were sent by the him to go as near as possible,

and endeavour to find out whether an available place

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

400

could be found for the guns and rockets the front.

Captain Channer,

A

trees.

till

;

nature of the

brought to Lieutenant

having been along was blocked by felled way

his route

the

rearguard was

obstructions

whom was

with

North, K.E., pushed on the bed of a torrent

if

cut through these daunted by the rough to

left

and nothing

country, Captain Channer threw out

men

right and left, himself leading the left body of He had given up his guides, for twenty-five men.

they evidently knew nothing of the position of the enemy and trusting to himself, he went on working ;

he saw the enemy's and soon after came upon one of

cautiously through the jungle,

smoke and

fires,

till

the stockades, and reconnoitered the Malay defences. This jungle fort was composed of logs surrounded

by a

palisade,

and sharp spiked bamboos were every-

where about the ground. This was an important moment

for if the

Malays had caught sight of the attacking force the alarm would have been given at once but by using precautions, and watching the enemy, Captain Channer was ;

;

able to learn the easiest

way

into the stockade.

Then,

supported by two Ghoorkhas, he leaped over the palisade, where he could hear the Malays talking inside no look-out being kept, as the enemy was cooking

;

and then dashing forward, followed by his two men, he boldly attacked the twenty or thirty who constituted the garrison, shot

down one man with

his

STOCKADES AT BT7KIT PUTOOS. ravolver, while the

401

two Ghoorkhas each shot down

Five Malays in all were killed in the first instance, and the remainder of the little flanking

theirs.

party coming up, the enemy, believing themselves to be surrounded, took to flight, making for two other stockades at about eighty and one hundred and sixty yards distance, the latter extending right across the pass. in which a 4-pounder iron from being a defence, was now turned gun was found and Captain Channer, getting into an attacking point

The

first

men

well under cover, opened a sharp

of these

;

his

fire

on both

strongholds in his front, with the effect that, after half-an-hour's fighting, the enemy evacuated the lower stockade, and soon after the rapid firing drove them out of the one that crossed the pass. As the Malays

always,

when they have

time, carry off their dead

and

it was impossible to ascertain exactly the extent of their losses ; but, from the traces left, it

wounded, full

was evident that they must have suffered severely. On our side we had only one killed and three wounded.

The

duties of Colonel Hill's little

column were not

though they encountered less active opposition. Their presence had no doubt great influence in pacify-

light,

ing the

district,

culties,

the

which was crossed under great

Muar

diffi-

river having to be forded nearly

twenty times, while swamps, dense jungle, and the various obstacles of a country unprovided with roads

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

402

harassed their march.

Neither had the natives been

Trees were stay their advance. felled wherever they could hinder the march.; the idle

in

river

Muar was staked with ranjows

places

trying to

and

;

at the crossing-

in the Terrachee valley a stockade

be attacked, the Ghoorkhas taking after

some skirmishing and a

it

shot

in or

had

the

two

to-

rear fired

from the guns. Altogether it was a most arduous march one which would have been impossible but from the Malay scouts by was, the advance was made

for the information obtained

As

it

Captain Murray. under most untoward circumstances, heavy rains often

and the troops having nightly to clear away enough of the dense jungle for them to obtain a place whereon they could bivouac. Finally they reached falling,

the rear of Bukit Putoos, and a party was sent out toarrest the defenders, who were reported to be in full

but they got clear away, escaping into the where it was impossible to pursue. jungle, These well-directed efforts completely broke the retreat

;

spirit of the disaffected in these parts,

and by the time

the two columns formed a conjunction, the rising

may

be said to have been completely at an end. But about the same time there were troubles at Klang, in the south of Salangore, where Mr. Davidson was the Eesident; the turbulent characters in these parts, thinking this a favourable opportunity for plundering and showing their opposition to Toonkoo-dia-udin, the

Viceroy of Salangore,

who

holds Klaug under the

THE RISING AT KLANG.

403

authority of the Sultan of that country; though a claim for it has always been set up by one Eajah

Mahdie, who was, however, kept from all active measures in the disturbances by being lodged under In fact, some time police surveillance at Singapore. before the rising the British government had thought it necessary to issue a warning that if Eajah Mahdie

made any would not

hostile

expedition

against

Klang

they

save his

feel justified in interfering to

life,

and therefore any such piece of aggression would be entirely at his

A little

own

risk.

sharp work took place over these

risings,

but Mr. Davidson, the Eesident, considered himself quite equal to cope with them and though the offer ;

of the

Arab contingent was made by the Government, it, and beyond the occasional visit of a

he declined

The

man-of-war, he received no aid whatever. force he raised for suppressing the

that

were

formed,

consisted

of

Malays and some Chinese miners.

little

marauding parties his

By

own

faithful

the aid of these

men he

dispersed the lawless bands in a few vigorous attacks, with the result that he completely pacified

his district,

and maintained authority throughout.

In this manner were the risings in Perak and the neighbouring states effectually suppressed but there ;

yet remained the punishment of the instigators of the rebellions and the murderers of Mr. Birch. Condign for this were measures, however, purpose, as adopted will

be stated in the following chapter. 2 D 2

CHAPTER XXXIV. The capture of Ismail Escape of Maharajah Lela Taking of the Datu Sagor Charges against Abdullah Arrest of the chiefs Their transportation The Perak regalia.

COINCIDENT with arrangements for the return of a portion of the troops, whose services were no longer needed, steps were being taken by the Government for securing the persons of the offenders who had fled

from Perak

;

and to

effect this,

one of the

first

things

done was to communicate with the Government of the king of Siam, in one of whose dependencies namely Patani they had taken refuge, and to request that they might be removed into Singora, and kept there until their future should be arranged. this request, as

The

brought before the Siamese

result of

power by

her Majesty's Consul-General at Bankok, was that it was decided to send a gunboat to Patani, bearing a

Siamese commissioner, who should take charge of any of the chiefs of Perak who should be found in Patani,

any of the Siamese provinces and that they should be taken to Bankok; and such of them as were or

;

reasonably supposed to be implicated in the murder

THE CAPTURE OF

ISMAIL.

405

handed over to the

of Mr. Birch were to be

British

government, while the remainder should be kept under surveillance until it was decided what should be their

fate.

The whole

made by Mr. Knox, whose

of this arrangement

was

was rather a

deli-

position

had we no extradition treaty with Siam, but the offence with which the chiefs were charged was not committed on British ground. cate one, as not only

The Eajah of Quedah,

in

whose

state the fugitives

were believed to be at times harbouring, on being communicated with, also expressed his willingness to deliver

up Ismail and

his followers

;

and

to capture the ex-Sultan

was near

it

his territory that the unsuccessful attempt

was made

the one which resulted in

the death of four of his people among whom was the Sedikah Eajah while several were wounded, and the

seventeen elephants were captured. For a whole month longer, however, Ismail and the

remnant of

his followers

remained at liberty near the

head of the Perak river; until, feeling that were permitted to remain unmolested in their

if

they

retreat,

they would form the nucleus of a fresh disturbance, the Governor sent orders to Penang for another effort to

be made from that settlement to

Sultan's capture.

effect

The plan proposed was

the ex-

that, after

obtaining information as to the exact whereabouts of the fugitives, three combined movements should be

made by Malays under Eajah Muda Yusuf, by from Salama, and a force from Quedah.

men

"SARONG" AND

406

"KRIS."

In accordance with these orders, an expedition started, under Mr. Hewick, the Assistant-superintendent of Police of Province Wellesley and he soon found, by the action taken by the Patani men, that ;

the orders of the king of Siam for the prevention of the entrance of the fugitives into his province had but they acted in a double-edged been stringent :

manner

;

for the instructions being to the authorities

Perak men from entering Patani territhere was no road from Perak to Quedah

to prevent all tory,

and

as

that did not pass through Patani, the whole expedition, with its Perak men, was brought to a standstill.

While matters were in

this state

news was brought

in

that Ismail was wearied out and ready to give himself up, and was on the frontier waiting. still some difficulties to get over, as there was a chance of hindrance being thrown in the way of the capture ; for the Patani men showed a

There were

now

disposition to meddle,

and sent parties out

to interfere.

judicious management, however, Mr. Ismail taken to a place called Cheeah, had Hewick, and following him. there, found him encamped in the

By

a

little

jungle with his people, to the extent of about one hundred and seventy men, women, and children. In the interview which followed the ex- Sultan under-

took to proceed quietly to Quedah, and from thence to meet the Lieutenant-Governor at Penang.

When

questioned as to his participation in the murder of Mr. Birch, he denied all knowledge of it,

THE CAPTURE OF

ISMAIL.

407

saying that it happened in Sultan Abdullah's territory, and therefore he left it to him to inquire into the

matter

while his reason for not coming in

;

summoned that as

when

meet Her Majesty's Commissioner was he was starting, a rumour was brought in of to

the approach of an inimical rajah with a force, and not wishing to submit his wives and children to the

chances and horrors of war, he had fled with them into the jungle, where he had continued roaming from Mr. Hewick states that it place to place ever since.

was perfectly evident that Ismail had no power over his chiefs, who rendered to him no respect whatever; and

hut building, catching elephants, or other

in

offices

of a similar kind, he

had

to act for himself,

like the rest.

was then brought down he met the Sultan of Quedah, whose well-armed

By

till

careful marches Ismail

force of about a thousand

men had been

in the rear of the ex- Suit an

and

so disposed

his followers that

escape was impossible, though great care was exercised not to let him know how he was surrounded. The

march was afterwards continued to Qualla Muda, where the ex-Sultan, the regalia, and the chiefs and followers, to the number of eighteen, were embarked and taken to Penang, while the

women and

children

and twenty-

seven elephants were left in Quedah. It seems that the sufferings of Ismail and his

must have been very severe for when he surrendered he was in a destitute condition, his people

followers

;

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

408

emaciated,

many

of

them

ill,

been left behind in the jungle

while

many more

and had died

But

off.

one of the most important of the chiefs was

had-

still

at

Maharajah Lela, who was stated to be somewhere in Upper Perak but neither liberty in the person of the

;

he nor the Orang

Kaya

Besar was taken on that

occasion, though the latter was willing to surrender the Superintendent of Police being too anxious

to-

secure the ex-Sultan and his large following. From Penang, Ismail, with his two sons and the

was sent down in H.M.S. Ringdove to Singapore, and from thence by the same vessel to> Johore, where the Maharajah had consented to receive attendants,

them

;

and here they were detained on

the arrangements necessary for

parole, with

the prevention

of

intrigue.

The capture of the Datu Sagor, the chief who stood by while Mr. Birch was murdered, was effected through the instrumentality of Mr. Swettenham, a few days before the surrender of Ismail. for the

The Datu had

most part kept in hiding in the neighbourhood

of Banda Baru, and he was at last captured where he had taken refuge with Sultan Abdullah at Pulo As for the Maharajah Lela, he was still at large r Tiga. and though an effort was made to effect his capture

Kendrong, he escaped across the river into Patani, where the authorities refused to give him up to Mr.

at

Maxwell, the Deputy-commissioner, who was in quest of lum with a following of forty Malays. Finally

THE MAHARAJAH LELA. however he surrendered with his to

1876,

the

representatives

409

followers, in July,

of the

Maharajah of

Johore at Kota Lamah, and was conveyed to Johore Bahru, with the understanding that he was to have a fair trial;

and

after a week's stay

Singapore, and thence

to Laroot

he was removed to

as the

murder having

taken place in Perak, it was necessary that the should be held in the same state.

trial

Whatever may have been the expectations of the Malay chiefs, they had a severe lesson to learn in the proceedings taken against them by the Government, the Maharajah Ismail and his sons were prisoners ;

Lela,

Datu Sagor, and Pandak Indut, who had been

falsely reported slain,

were

also

under

arrest, as well

In addition, the three who had been seized and tried for the murder

as several of their followers.

men

at the native court of Sultan Abdullah, were sentenced

to death

Sultan

;

by Eajah Dris, the judge appointed by the but the Governor subsequently advised that

the sentence on two of the to penal servitude for

men

should be commuted

life.

which followed, the Maharajah Lela, Datu Sagor, and Pandak Indut were found guilty of the murder of Mr. Birch, and were hanged while In the

trials

;

such important evidence came out in connection with the cruel outrage as determined the Government upon requesting the attendance of Sultan Abdullah, and also

Laksamana and the Shahbandar at Singapore, serious charges being also made against the Muntri of the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

410

In the

and

protracted

careful

Commissioners a number of

the

inquiry before

transpired which and showed that they had facts

implicated these chiefs, favoured the determination to

kill

the British Eesi-

dent and drive his

staff out of the country. In that were all in the and had fact, they conspiracy, The Sultan held meetings to discuss the question.

was charged with authorising the deed; with purwith chasing and supplying arms and ammunition ;

assisting the plans ; with issuing his warrant to the Maharajah Lela for the murder; that after the murder

he aided and protected this chief, and, furthermore, sent him arms and provisions to aid him in resisting the British

officers;

and that he aided and protected

the Datu Sagor.

These charges were generally denied by the Sultan, asserted that the papers and instructions he was

who

said to have issued, with their chops, or seals, were forgeries.

As an example

of the superstitious nature of even

the best educated Malays, it may be mentioned that in the evidence it was asserted that certain incantations were

made

at Abdullah's instigation,

and that

these were continued for three successive night on last of which the spirit invoked declared that ;

the

Mr. Birch would be dead at the end of three months

;

while other witnesses asserted that the Sultan wanted

Mr. Birch by sorcery, and to injure him by putting poisonous plants in the place where he bathed.

to

kill

ARREST OF THE CHIEFS.

411

The charges against the Muntri and the other chiefs were of a similar character, the Muntri being accused of favouring the Eesident's death, counselling the Sultan against the British, and instigating attacks

upon them. During the time occupied in the examinations connected with these inquiries by the Commissioners, Abdullah and his chiefs resided, under supervision, in Singapore

;

and

were con-

as soon as the inquiries

cluded, and answers received from the

Home

ment

now

to the Governor's despatches, the

was, with his

chiefs, arrested, their case

and they were

Govern-

ex-Sultan

was heard,

lodged in Singapore gaol to insure their safe custody while their future was taken finally

the sentence upon them being that should be The they deported from the country. Muntri received the same sentence, and orders were into consideration

;

issued also for his arrest, which were fully carried out.

The Ismail

circumstances

and

of

his following

the case

against

were considered

also to justify their continued detention at

Sultan

sufficient

Johore,

where the Maharajah undertook

to provide against in with connection with the being intrigued future affairs of Perak while for the maintenance of

their

;

the various chiefs provision was arranged for out of the revenue of Perak.

In connection with these arrangements, a proclamation was issued by Sir William Jervois, in March

"SARONG" AND

412

"

KRIS."

of the present year (1877), abrogating that of Sir Andrew Clarke of 1874, and concluding in these

words

:

BE IT KNOWN TO ALL MEN, that Abdullah has ceased to be Sultan of Perak, and that the Government of the State of Perak is, for the present, conducted by the Kajah Yusuf, son of the late Sultan Abdullah Mahomed Shah, as the Chief ^Native authority in the State.

Kajah Yusuf, heretofore mentioned as the Eajah Muda, was thus made ruler of Perak, the government being carried on in his name, and with the aid and advice of a Kesident Mr. Hugh Low receiving the onerous appointment. Yusuf gained the confidence of the British Government by the way in which he refused to join in the contemptible little plots of the chiefs against Mr. Birch, and also by the spirited way in which

he came forward with his following of friendly Malays to aid in the capture of the various fugitives, and in the pacification of the country.

middle age, and

He

is

a

man

over the

described as being of considerable and ability, feared and hated by many of the chiefs, as being of a fierce and cruel disposition ; but he was

man

is

and there being no desire on the part of Government to annex the state of Perak, his appointment was the wisest course that, under the circumstances, could be pursued. a proved

The

as to his loyalty

;

last steps for the full pacification of the state

had been the appointment of a Resident's guard of two hundred men, and a police force of five hundred ;

TRANSPORTATION. and

finally,

413

in July this year, the transportation of

ex- Suit an Abdullah,

and

his three chiefs with their

Mahe, one of the group of an island lying in the Indian Ocean

families to the island of

the Seychelles, only about ten degrees north of Madagascar, the seat The embarkation, of the early Malay migrations.

according to the Straits Times, of July 21st, caused but little excitement, and a guard of six police was

deemed

sufficient for the

charge of the four chiefs and

their fifty followers, principally, however,

women and

the few male servants, like the chiefs, being unarmed. The report adds, that the chiefs

children

quite did not appear

dejected or cast down, but rather with the "pleased change from prison walls to the deck of the ship."

In this case, history seems to have repeated

itself.

In bygone ages the ancestors of these chiefs, from their own wandering and investigating nature crossed the ocean westward to the Mauritius and Madagascar, while now they have been transported to similar

westward homes, though for the purposes and at the command of the dominant power.

The Perak

regalia,

which was captured with ex-

Sultan Ismail, consisted, besides elephants, merely of a few golden krises, swords, bells, dragons, and various gold and silver articles of a personal character.

CHAPTER XXXV. settlers The climate Safety of life and property Health Diseases to guard against Supplies Sport Food Christmas dish Dress Itinerary of the Ulu, or Upper Perak country.

Hints to

A

LIFE in Perak, though as yet tested to a very small

by Europeans, is very bearable, and the contented mind would meet with a continuous feast of extent

only by paying heed to that which is spread on all sides, without taking pains to investigate the wonders of the land. During the three last

enjoyment,

if

months of the year the rains are so heavy as to make an umbrella the best of friends to him who ventures almost as welcome during the The heat of the day of the other nine months.

to travel, while

it

is

mornings and evenings

and

more to

however, deliciously cool

fresh.

It

'for

are,

be taken for granted that amongst the enlightened Malays there is a disposition

may

welcome the English, and to the

benefit

ledge, laws, visit of

the

of

and

Duke

their

capital.

avail

of

themselves,

our

country, To the present

know-

day the

of Edinburgh to the peninsula is

HINTS TO SETTLERS.

415

talked of with pleasure, and the incidents in connection therewith are well remembered by the Malays. In connection with this visit, it may be mentioned that the two cocoa-nut trees obtained from Dr. Little's

cocoa-nut plantation, which were with due ceremony planted by His Royal Highness in the grounds of the

Government House and promise

to be

Safety to life

any person who

at

Singapore, are thriving well,

fine fruit-bearers.

and property

increasing daily; and chooses to make himself acquainted is

with the Malay people, and by his consistent conduct shows his respect for their customs and religion, may find himself

any one who through these pages must by now be

amongst stanch friends

has read so far

;

for

convinced that in character the Malay approaches far nearer to the gentleman than to the bloodthirsty savage he has been so often painted. True there is the kris always worn at the waist of his sarong, but so

was the rapier worn by our gentry of a generation or two back and, however much we may have advanced ;

during the past few years, no one will charge

our

and grandfathers with being bloodthirsty because the small-sword formed a portion of their

fathers

attire.

Granting this safety, then, from the natives, the next question that seems to arise is as to the noxious

The only one of these to be the tiger, and the accidents from

beasts of the country. really it

dreaded

are far

is

more

rare than

may

be supposed, espe-

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

416

measures have been taken to keep down increase. Where mishaps have occurred, they have been generally amongst the Chinese coolies encially since

its

gaged in the plantations, or in similar work, which rendered them very much exposed to attack while in the course of years, as the country is opened out, ;

these there

must grow is

less

and

less frequent.

From

serpents

scarcely anything to fear, the python, as far

as the writer knows, never attacking

man, while the

poisonous kinds are always ready to flee from the sound of his foot. What he has to fear from the

animal world

is

plagues, which

really the attack of the tiniest of insect

up the

a pest, and require at a distance.

all

rivers of the country are indeed

possible caution to keep

The next great question most insidious of

its assailants,

altogether the country precaution there is very

may

encounter in one's

is

is

the health, and the

jungle fever

salubrious,

little

them

more

own land

;

;

but taken

and with due

to fear than one

in fact,

many

of

There can be no

our native ailments are escaped. doubt that several of the diseases from which the natives suffer are brought on by their own defiance of the simplest sanitary laws ; while, from his superior

knowledge of such matters, the European may go At the same time, nature comparatively scathless. has undoubtedly aided the inhabitant of the East and of tropic lands, and protected him by the colour given After violent exercise the white skin to his epidermis.

DISEASES.

cools very rapidly,

matic pains,

417

and causes the

chills, colds,

rheu-

and bowel complaints from which a

European may suffer in the East while, when in the same heated state, the black or brown skin cools ;

slowly,

and the inflammation

is

averted.

Care in the choice of an abode, in cutting down the jungle, in picking out a resting-place when camp-

For when ing out, are all conducive to the health. the trees are cut down the miasma that rises from the ground has nothing to absorb

it

;

hence the advice

not to clear away the jungle without leaving the When camping out, the writer has seen

brushwood. in the

morning the value of

his

mosquito curtain, which has not only kept at bay the virulent little insects, but has acted as a purifier of the atmosphere he breathed, the outside being covered with the

miasma-impregnated moisture that had arisen during the night. It

is

very curious

eastern countries

how

the sicknesses of these

come about, but they may

traced to the exhalations consequent

often be

upon animal

or

For instance, in a coral island, the vegetable decay. side whereon the wind blows may be perfectly healthy monsoon, when an epidemic may be entirely due to the fact that where

until the change of the

ensue

;

and

this

by the receding tide, and exposed to the sun, it decays and produces noxious exhalations. So long as the wind sweeps from the

the coral

is

laid bare

native village towards the exposed reef

all

are healthy 2 E

;

"

"SARONG" AND

418

KRlS."

but on the change taking place, the vapour to the dwellings of the people,

which, however, sites of

who

the huts.

is

and sickness

wafted results

;

be avoided by changing the

may

This

are able to escape

by

known

well

is

to the people,

exercising care.

Most people who go

to the Straits are affected

directly after their arrival

by an unpleasant cutaneous

disease.

The treatment

of

it is,

however, very simple, not an ailment that need be looked upon with dread, a tolerably copious application of borax

and

it is

in solution being found to be a specific for its cure. Moderation and temperance are the two best aids to health in the peninsula

supplemented by such

and these can be

;

little

easily

matters as taking care

not to get chilled after the toil of walking through a hot and moisture- charged atmosphere, that is often a vapour-bath ; sleeping always with a broad woollen bandage round the waist, as a protection to like

the more vital parts of the organism tion being invaluable for warding off choleraic tendency.

Again,

it is

such a precauall

wise

attacks of a

when up the

country to take a little quinine daily as bitters, so as to keep off fever, for a system so prepared will

when a

stronger constitution falls. To settlers, travellers, or sportsmen, it should be Bear in mind that the simpler your supplies said

often escape

:

are the better.

The best

kit consists of a waterproof

sheet, a thin cork mattress,

These are ingeniously

fitted

and a mosquito curtain. in quite a small box by the

SUPPLIES.

419

For Chinese, the box afterwards forming a pillow. the of in which no one should way medicine, supplies be without, take a sufficiency of quinine, Lamplough's which is invaluable and the genuine pyretic saline chlorodyne.

These three form a medical armoury

that will keep most diseases at bay while, by way of fortification, a supply of brandy for medicinal use or ;

burning should form a portion of the medical stores therein in cases where brandy is wanting, and a :

good stomachic is needed, a tea made by the infusion of green ginger answers admirably. Lastly, a bottle of Lea and Perrin's Worcester sauce, which is not only a

but -acts when taken alone by a tra-

wanting appetite, as a splendid stomachic, and

veller

an

relish,

excellent "pick-me-up."

For additional provisions, the modern tinned meats and soups are invaluable, affording as they do variety; whi]e their condensed form

and convenient shape

for packing, afford a wonderful contrast to the oldfashioned casks of salt beef and pickled pork. The convenience of these tinned meats to a person in

the jungle can hardly be realised, unless the reader

were put to the halt

is

that

is

little

test.

Weary,

hot,

and hungry, a

made, and the preparation of food is a task trying; but a tin of sausages is opened, a

brandy or

spirit

poured into a saucer, ignited,

the sausage held in the flame for a few minutes, and there is a hot dish that for piquancy of flavour is indescribable,

and

outrivals the efforts of the

most

2 E 2

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

420

famous Pall Mall

The

chef.

and appetite may

air

have something to do with the enjoyment, but the simplicity of the cooking is worthy of note. The sportsman or resident who can handle a

gun

can of course make ample additions to his larder

from the surrounding jungle, or the swamps and lagoons, where teal and wild-duck in many varieties Snipe absolutely swarm in Province WelIn lesley, and wherever there is a suitable habitat. the above shooting-grounds H.K.H. the Duke of

abound.

Edinburgh shot more couples in the course of a few hours than have fallen to any man since. Deer are to be found, and wild-boar ham is considered by There are some,

some a dainty. curried monkey, for those bill

who

of daily

and declare

like to

fare

it

make

there

too,

who have

to be delicious

this

;

and

addition to their

abundance

is

tried

of

supply.

There seems to be something repulsive in the idea but one of eating the little semi-human creature ;

thing in its favour is that the monkey is a fruit-eater, and in several parts of the world it is a regular object of diet. Some rather

humorous adventures were met

with-

during the journey through the state of Perak with Sir "William Jervois, and also during the time of the When near the river good draughts of little war. fish

were sometimes obtained

a halt was

made

exhausted,

all

;

but upon one occasion

at night, the present supplies

others were at a distance

were

there was.

FOOD.

421

nothing to catch, nothing to shoot, and the Governor The late Mr. had declared that he was starving. Birch,

who was wonderfully

fertile in expedient,

at his wits' end, for there was the to cook.

Just

fire

when every one was

was

and no food

in despair,

and

about to accept his fate of waiting for the arrival " " of supplies, there was suddenly heard a loud baa !

Poor goat death

;

for in

was speaking its own sentence of a twinkling it was seized, slain, the kid!

it

neys whipped out, roasted on a bamboo, Malay fashion, and served up to the Governor with sauce and mango pickle, to his great satisfaction, and the relief of all ^concerned.

Better fare was welcomed

by a party during the the writer was war, postmaster at Qualla Kungsa of which station the engraving gives a very

when

little

excellent representation.

The reader

looking across -"the Kungsa river, which is flowing on to its confluence with the Perak the further and larger of the two

j

rivers represented.

place were

is

The bamboo bridge and landing-

arranged for the coming of the Governor. About this time, or near to it, the post-runners had to all

being shot down or speared by the inimical but upon Malays, who were always on the watch

risk

;

the occasion in question the regular communication remained perfect. The Postmaster - General at Martin's -le- Grand gives accounts from time to time of the remarkable things that pass through the

St.

Npost

live,

dead, and miscellaneous

;

but few things

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

422

that he annually reports exceed in grotesqueness the contents of the official letter-shaped packet that arrived at Qualla Kungsa, sent by a lady in the

Settlements to an

upon the station. The packet was square and thick and soft, and, on being opened, officer

It need hardly be proved to be a plum-pudding. added that the season was Christmas, though summerlike in temperature, and that the gift was eaten with

by those who mingled with their thanks to the donor many a thought of the home beyond the seas, and the pleasant meetings and festivities in prodelight

gress far away. White clothes are de rigueur here, and, with pith helmets, are universally adopted by the Europeans ;

but the visitor to Perak, with

its

hot moist climate, must

not forget the value of flannel, which greatest preservatives of

European

is

one of the

health.

helmets are admirably adapted for repelling

The pith heat, and

their arrangements for obtaining ventilation are ex-

head

but for a European there is no better protection against the sun than a piece of plantain-leaf, big enough to go inside the hat, where cellent in cooling the

;

powers are almost beyond belief in keeping down the temperature of the head. So cooling are its

its

properties that

it is

regularly used for outward appli-

cations in the hospitals of the Settlements, while the

traders adopt

ing

it

for

wrapping up

butter,

and prevent-

from assuming the quality of oil. The fowling-pieces and rifles to be taken out by it

SPORT.

who

those

Perak and the peninsula, either as or to stay, must be regulated by individual

travellers

taste

;

423

but

visit

it

may

be borne in mind that in the Moar

north of Johore regarding which place, since the death of Sultan Allie, some question as to the district,

succession has arisen

elephant-shooting,

and a

They may

bagged.

there

is

tiger

excellent

may

ground

for

be occasionally

also regulate the calibre of their

" " Express and other pieces, and choose between the modern rifles in regard to the huge alligators of the rivers,

of which

many

are of monstrous

size,

and

almost impenetrable hide. In the way of settlement, steps are gradually being taken; for the land, as has been said, offers facilities for the production of tea, spices, sugar, tobacco, indigo, and gambier, while on the other hand the mining

work

presents abundant

the difficulty Chinese,

;

who

but this

is

really are

for capital.

The labour

is

some extent met by the born artisans, and from their to

patient industry, aptness in learning, and readiness to work for moderate pay, promise to become the skilled

labourers of the future.

The maps given tains, rivers,

and

in this

work contain the moun-

villages of the state, as far as it has

been surveyed. It will be useful, though, to give a few further particulars of the country, which are founded on good native information, and will be valuable to anyone

making a

trip inland

the rivers and places are not

named

;

and though

in the maps,

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

424

the writer

is

fully

confirm

will

of opinion that future

this description

or

up-stream, stream.

as

Soonghy Tekan

opposed is

a

of the

to

little

the

Ulu

surveys interior,

or

Ilir,

down-

river that rises near

Kinta and runs into the Soonghy or River Raya, which is a tributary of the Kinta. When leaving

and

this part,

flying into the

Ulu

after the

retreat

from Kinta, leaves and roots of trees were all that Ismail and his fugitive subjects could get by way of Their course was from Kinta by Campong Kapayang, Qualla Tekan, the mouth of the river just named, Kantan and Kerbu at the sources of the supplies.

Plus

Baling to

Kerbu, Kernei, and Balla. From Balla, easily reached, and then there is a pathway

river, is

a tributary of the

Muda

river

in

the

Quedah

territory.

and

Balla

the

country beyond it are, strictly speaking, in the Perak state; but the Patani people have encroached a good deal beyond their own borders

;

and by moving from Kerbu to Balla, it was evident that Ismail's object was to reach the Quedah state. Patani proper is arrived at by journeying between the two ranges Gounong Titiwangsa and Gounong PanBoats jang, where the Perak and Muda rivers rise. cannot go up the river much beyond Balla for above the rapids called Jeram Panjang, previously men;

tioned,

There

the is,

river

Perak becomes a mere

however, a pathway along

its

torrent.

bank which

THE leads to Patani

;

ULU.

425

and the natives declare that

reached in seven or eight stages, namely 1.

2.

it

can be

:

Ulu Jeram Panjang to Jeram Jambu. Jeram Jambu to Kenering.

5.

Kenering to Pelang Gali (inhabited by Patani people). Pelang Gali to Berkuming. Berkuming to Ehril.

6.

Ehril to Belong.

3. 4.

7.

Belong to Jerum, the boundary between Perak and Patani.

8.

Jerum

to

Jerum Belakap.

Beyond Jerum Belakap

are villages

Tul (which

by

is

inhabited

named Paropoh,

thirty or forty Siamese

Nerwat, Hijau, Goar Kapur, and Panang, which latter is on the Buka river. families),

Koon

CHAPTEE XXXVI. An

ascent of Mount Ophir from Malacca The hot springs On the track Chabow Night in the jungle Camping-out Gounong

Padang Batoo Tondoh Cry of the argus-pheasant Ledang The view from the summit The descent A fine field for thenaturalist.

BEFORE

closing this

work

it

may not

be uninteresting,

much prominence has been given Mount Ophir in Malacca being in

as so

to the question

of

all

probability the Ophir of Solomon, to give a short account of an ascent of the mountain made by the writer some years since, in company with Captain Prothero, then aide-

de-camp

to the Governor, General Cavenagh,

and now

General superintendent of the Andaman Islands. was the last of SettleGovernor the Straits Cavenagh

ments under the Indian Government, and was a member of the Commission appointed by Her Majesty to inquire into the revenue and expenditure of the Settlements prior to their transfer to the Crown.

The

trip

monotony

was proposed by way of variation to the

of a residence in Malacca.

natural desire

must be

felt

inspect a mountain whose associations

by every European to

name has

connected with

Besides which, a

it,

so

many historical

especially

when

so

MOUNT

OPHIE.

427

themselves to the student in proof of its being the genuine Ophir of Scripture; while to the traveller, the knowledge of the common term formerly

many

facts suggest

applied to gold workings in these parts, namely " Ophirs," and the abundance of these ancient mines about the mountain conveys no slight corroborative

evidence of the truth of the question. Mount Ophir is situated in the territory of Moar, in the middle of the peninsula, about fifty miles east of Malacca ; and at the time of the excursion to be

described had not for

years been visited by The time at the command of the little

Europeans.

many

party would not allow of any lengthy preparation being made for the ascent but considerable facilities ;

were afforded by the resident Councillor of Malacca, who kindly arranged that a small body of about

twenty Malays, under the Punghulu, or head-man, of the village of Chabow, should meet the expeditionists at the above place on the day appointed for the start, to act as guides

the Punghulu,

and

porters,

who was an

and to

clear the

intelligent

way;

Malay named

Lawih, proving an excellent guide, and of great service during the

The

trip.

part of the journey was performed by carriage, and the route was through a place called by the Malays Ayer Panas, or Hot Water, on account of first

the hot springs. These springs, with some others, are the only traces of volcanic action in the peninsula,

and are of the ordinary sulphur-impregnated character.

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

428

Bubbles of gas

rise

from time to time from the bottom

of the

springs, which have the character of wells, being about three feet in diameter, and twice that number of feet in depth. There are three of these

wells, of

which the water in one

is

much

hotter than

in the others, being of so high a temperature as to be nearly unbearable, while on a level with the surface a curious deposit of a greenish hue is formed. The view across the country was very beautiful,

the eye roving over the billowy green expanse of jungle rising by slow degrees across hill after hill, of

Mount

Ophir, rising in softened outline far above the

wooded

till

bounded by the triple-crowned heads

The

heights.

first

of the journey

part

through Chinese and Malay soon grew wilder and more joyable

;

and pushing

on,

had been

villages,

but the country

difficult,

though very en-

we reached

Jassing soon over twenty

midday, having progressed a little miles from Malacca in our morning's run. Beyond this, as the road lay through padi fields and water- courses, we could make no further progress, after

either

by

carriage or on ponies

;

so from here our

journey began in earnest upon foot; and starting about one, we followed the track through the village After this we of Kehirn, about a mile farther east.

found the land begin to

rise

till

we reached much

higher ground, and plunged at once into the dense Here all the beauty of the eastern forest was jungle. -on

either

side

of the

sun-shaded track,

with the

OSASOW. wonderfully-rich foliage flourishing in the hot steamThere were, however, the accoming atmosphere.

panying discomforts of

forest travel, leeches abounding and the track not being altogether This dense jungle, which completely

in the moist places, free

from mud.

robs the traveller of views of the surrounding country, continued till we were about two miles from Chabow.

where we were to meet our contingent of Malays and the guide.

On emerging from

the forest, the track entered

upon an extensive open plain, which had evidently been cleared of jungle in times long gone by and now full in our view lay the whole range of the. ;

mountains of Ophir piled high in our

front, but,

on

the whole, somewhat disappointing as regarded their height. It

was four

o'clock before

Chabow was

reached,

the distance being about eleven miles from Jassing, progress during the latter part of the journey being naturally far

more slow

mainly, though, in conse-

quence of one of the heavy downpours of rain which are so

common

seemed to come

in this part of the world, rolling

down

and which

in rain-clouds

from the

mountain-sides with an impetuosity that it was hard work to withstand. On our approach, though, to Chabow, we were gladdened by the sight of the guide

Punghulu Lawih, who, true to the orders he had received, came to the entrance of his campong to give us welcome, and led the

way

to his house,

where the

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

430

whole of the front portion of his bamboo mansion

was placed possible

at the travellers' disposal,

done

and everything

to render the sojourn agreeable.

The evening was spent possible arrangement for

and making every the start on the morrow.

in resting,

Packages were disposed for carriage during the ascent, dinner was discussed, and at last, wearied out, the simple couches were sought, with the pitched

hum

of mosquitos

soft highly-

itself

making

heard as

these insect pests prepared themselves for their nocturnal banquet upon the tired travellers intentions,

however, carefully frustrated, by turning each couch into a fortress with covered ways formed of mosquito These effectually kept off the enemy, whose curtains. frantic dashes

were

all repelled,

the curtains offering

no means of ingress to the insects but they were powerless to ward off the insidious onslaught of a ;

peculiarly objectionable odour, which not only per-

vaded the room but soon

filled

the space within the

This peculiarly strong and singular odour proceeded from the durian fruit in the Punghulu's house, and proved quite sufficient to banish sleep curtains.

for

some considerable time

prevailed,

and sinking

;

but at

last

weariness

into a profound slumber

we

managed to obtain a very fair night' s rest before the call came to rise at daybreak, so as to be ready for setting off on the more arduous march at six o'clock.

Before starting came the customary squabble and

ON THE TRACK.

431

amongst the bearers for who should get the but lightest and most convenient packages to carry fight

;

minor

these

matters

were soon put right by the

Punghulu, and at about half-past seven the expedition was under march from the campong, swelling by progressed for such an event was an one here and volunteers and friends of

degrees as

it

uncommon

increased the party from twenty number, the greater portion taking

the Malays soon to

forty

in

as

much

interest

in

the novel

trip

as

so

many

children.

The route lay through Soonghy Dua, and the deserted village told plainly of

of Assahan, a ruined place, which its ancient date in the ample testi-

afforded by the extensive growth of aged fruitwhich abounded in every direction, the clearings trees, between indicating where had stood the houses of the

mony

bygone inhabitants of the freshed

place.

Here we were

re-

by partaking of the finest and largest mangowe had ever seen, growing wild as it were

steen that

in this desert place, lying about six miles from the

campong where we had passed the

night.

Passing through Assahan, the direction of our route for the mountains lay fifteen degrees west of north, but about ten o'clock we had to change our

way

to

due

east, so as to

of the mountain,

made.

Soon

Chobong,

make

for the northern slope

by which our ascent was

after

this

we

a stream which

crossed the

divides

the

to be

Soonghy Malay and

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

432

British territory,

and at

this point

we changed again

to a north-easterly direction.

Our intention was tain before nightfall,

place called

be there in

to reach the foot of the

moun-

where we proposed to stay at a

Gumnri, and therefore pushed on

so as to

time to prepare our hut for the Our next night, and arrange for the morrow's ascent. to of call was be place Soonghy Ayer Bangkong, which

we hoped noon

sufficient

to reach

by vigorous walking a

little

after

but a good track assisted us no longer, for the latter part of our journey had been through high lallang grass, so that the miles became wearisome and ;

be surmised, from the want of progress made upon this second day. Hitherto the track had been fairly visible, and offered but few obstacles to slow, as

may

ordinary walking through the coarse

;

but

after

threading

stiff lallang,

our

way

there was no further

vestige of a pathway, the route before us now consisting of the sturdy brushwood of the secondary

the undergrowth that springs up after the primeval forest has been cleared away.

jungle

From

this point the genuine

the Malays had to come like parangs,

the brush.

hard work began

;

for

to the front with their sword-

and hew and hack a path for us through For a good hour this work continued, the

progress being diversified

by a

fall

into a

swamp now

when we

and then, got through the piece of wilderThe ness and came upon the old track once more. Malays then

suggested that

we should

follow

in

CAMPING-OUT.

433

the steps of former travellers to the mountain, and encamp for the night at Ayer Bangkong, and on the left

bank of the

river

;

but

we made up our minds

to

push forward to the very foot of the mountain, so that an entire day could be devoted to its ascent.

Ayer Bangkong was reached about the time we and here the advance party came anticipated; suddenly upon a number of the Sakais, or Jacoons,

who proved dashing

their

wild nature

at full speed into

off

sight of white

terror at the

on the instant by the jungle, as if in their enemies

men and

the more civilised Malays. Mooning was the next place reached, and here our course had veered to the south-east ; and pushing on,

Gummi was

reached by three o'clock, and preparations immediately made for making ready the little camp.

And now

of adapting themselves to circumstances was strongly shown by the Malays,

who

their ability

in a very short time

up a rough

stage, about

had two

set to feet

work and

built

from the ground.

the cross-sticks of this they laid strips of the bark of the Maranti tree, till the structure assumed

Upon

proportions of a capital sleeping-floor, over which a slight roof of sticks was tied, and again over this a couple of kadjangs, or palm-leaf mats,

the

were thrown

;

extemporising for us a capital hut

or shed, sufficient to afford a good screen from the

weather.

While the evening meal was being prepared over 2 F

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

434

the

had been lighted a meal that was to " a tin of soup and a sudden death," other-

that

fire

consist of

a look round was taken, and a

wise a spatchcock

was found only a short distance away while upon reaching its foot, where the glistening foam sparkled and played in rainbow tints in the afternoon

waterfall

;

light, the geological

formation of the rocks over which

These proved to be the water sprang was examined. of granite, with patches here and there of quartz and

The granite

clay- slate.

did, in fact, as far

down

largely predominated, as it the bed of the stream as could

Amongst the granite boulders were here deep pools, upon which the Malays made an

be explored.

and there

and soon succeeded in drawing therefrom a good supply of fish. Their next visit was to the wild durian trees, from whose fruit they concocted a curry, onslaught,

and thus from the nature-spread bounty

their

wants

were very easily supplied. In spite of the rocky nature of the ground, the jungle around us was very dense, forming a good

harbour for any of the wild beasts of the peninsula, but no visit was anticiif any were near at hand ;

pated,

for

during

the

day's journey

nothing had

crossed the path larger than squirrels or monkeys, though every now and then we came across the tracks

of elephants,

rhinoceros, bears,

deer,

and wild-pig.

These, however, were old, and the creatures that had The imprinted them were most probably far away.

CAHPING-OUT.

435

monkeys were plentiful, and were for the most part of the black kind, with a white fringe of hair around the

we should

be troubled by nocturnal visits in a land where the tiger is not unknown, face.

Lest, however,

the Malays prepared camp-fires all around us and of most brisk in the the centre, piled choosing one had the dead wood they up gathered together, and ;

then seated themselves in a knot, with the warm glow reddening the bronze of their faces, and forming a wonderfully picturesque group, as seen against the black background of that forest land. For hours and hours these people kept up quite a little social entertainment by improvising amusing stories,

sang

which they

set to their

aloud, after the

manner

own

native music, and

of their sun-nun-dongs,

to harmonious airs, the whole joining in a chorus of

" Aha

!"

One of the party then every line. the refrain to a lower key, went on to

after

toning down sing a lament that a high official had lost his leg in the wars, and could not therefore indulge in such an expedition, so as to enjoy the pleasure of a mountain Then another took up the refrain in a higher climb.

key, keeping up the idea, and described how that, as this high official could not climb Mount Ophir

had done the next best thing to it he had sent his Muntri, or secretary, who would no himself, he

doubt some day be a great

The Malay

man

too.

of this improvised song

may

not be

2 P 2

"SARONG" AND "KE1S."

436

without

its interest

excuse for

to

its insertion

some here

Tuan Governor,

this is the

:

dia adali satu kaki, sahja.

(CJiorus.)

Dia

and

readers,

Alia

!

aha

!

ta boleh naik Bukit sahja.

Aha Pandi kereem, dia Muntri

Aha Eang

1

aha

!

sahja. !

aha

!

jadi Governor, sundiri sahja.

Aha

!

aha

!

Improvising songs could not be kept up all night, and by degrees the party dropped off to sleep, till a silence only broken now and then all was silent

by the loud breathing of some sleeper, or the soft whispering of the wind amongst the tree-tops in The novelty of the position, however, the jungle. banished sleep from

the

European eyes

for

some

and we lay listening denly broken by the shrill note of the coo-ow, as the natives call the argus-pheasant, whose cry seemed till

time,

to rise from the jungle,

the silence was sud-

and was then echoed from

the surrounding The cry of this bird is wonderfully sharp and clear, and, as has been said, it bears a singular resemblance to the " coo-ey," its piercing nature being so peculiar savage it be heard at a very great distance. can that hills

in every direction.

Sleep overtook the whole party at last, and, forgetful of the dangers to be apprehended from wild beasts, a

calm slumber was enjoyed, from which we

THE ASCENT. woke very

early, quite refreshed

;

437

and, rising, at once

proceeded to reduce our luggage as so as to get

much

as possible,

what was absolutely necessary

for the

compass as we could, it having been decided to leave the remainder here, in charge of two or three of the older members of rest of the journey into as small a

Breakfast was then partaken of, and we the party. made our start for the real ascent at about eight o'clock.

Just before setting off, that is to say about a quarter past seven, the thermometer was examined, when the

mercury stood at eighty-one degrees, a great height considering that the air seemed to be perceptibly colder.

The

part of the ascent lay along the left bank of the Gummi river, and proved to be toilsome and first

was relieved every here and there ground. Every few yards gained,

precipitous, but it

by

bits of level

though, began to show that much harder work was in store, and before long the ascent became so arduous

we

could get no foothold in our boots, and these had to be discarded, the whole remaining part of the that

journey, ascent and descent, having to be performed with no stronger covering for the feet than woollen Persevering, though, we brought our hands to the help of our feet, and making use of the various

socks.

creepers, gradually dragged ourselves

higher,

till

we had topped the

first

up higher and

of the hills

which

form the Ophir range, descending afterwards into the valley on the other side, which we reached about

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

438

eleven o'clock,

after finding the

shelving more than on ascended.

From

this valley,

the

the

slope on this side

one by which we had

next

hill

was-

to climb

Batoo, an enormous mass of granite,

Gounong Padang

offering to us almost perpendicular sides,

which were

in places entirely denuded of soil

and vegetation. In were rich in an abun-

other parts, though, the fissures dance of mosses, lichens, and ferns, with a shrubby At plant not unlike the rhododendron in its growth. this point the climb

became

so arduous that one of

the party gave up, and had to relinquish the ascent, which was made the more difficult by the loads that

was necessary to bear. Leaving him there, we pushed on, and finally at one o'clock this granite it

mass was climbed.

Water was the first thing thought of, and on looking about we found to our left the bed of a mountain torrent; but

at

this

time of the

year

water, though the well-worn stones plainly showed that in the rainy season a heavy torrent must flow through it from higher up

it

contained very

the mountain.

little

The moisture

here, though,

had

its

the rugged banks were fringed with stunted a strong contrast to the vegetation, but it presented lush growths of the steaming jungle. effect, for

time was spent here, however, for there w as plenty of arduous work before us, and tramping on we reached Gounong Tondoh about half-

But very r

little

VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT.

439

past two, with the European part of our little expedition very much exhausted ; for the mountain here was

very precipitous, and step after step could only be won by grasping the trees, shrubs, and climbers, which very fortunately lay ready to hand. At the summit of this mountain is a small plateau some thirty square yards in area, and covered with dense scrub, a few fir trees, and the vegetation peculiar to such altitudes.

From be

here there was a good view of the work yet to done, the triple peaks of the mountain being

visible

Gounong Ledang, the

highest, rising very the other between two. abruptly A rest was however necessary before attempting further progress, and this having been taken, a fresh start

was made, with a short descent

;

and then began

a sheer scramble and climb up the face of

Gounong

Ledang, holding on by points,

anything

roots, moss,

that offered itself to the grasp, till at last, just at four o'clock, we reached the summit of the Ophir range, completely fagged ; for the thermometer, when exposed,

even at this altitude, registered ninety- six degrees. The crest of the mountain is formed of one large overhanging block of granite, called by the natives Batoo Sardung. The mass is about twenty-five feet high, and its over-

hanging side offered a fair amount of shelter to our party, for we had determined upon spending the night

upon the summit. The view from but

is

grand and extensive, on the whole monotonous, on account of the this point is

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

440

extent of jungle upon which the eye rests, the billowy waves rolling off mile after mile in every direction.

Here and

there, however, the landscape was relieved vivid the by green of the clearings, where the rice

grew

in its delicate luxuriance.

Moar, Rumbowe,

distance as we Jompole, Pahang, lay turned from side to side while far away to the west was Malacca, with the sea-coast, the "Water islands, in

all

the

;

and Salangore.

At

length, having satiated ourselves with the view

of mountain, jungle, plain,

was directed to the

and winding

river,

our

plateau upon which we stood, and the great block of granite, upon which " former travellers had carved the initials W. F.," attention

little

:

"

W.

T. L.,"

tions for

Then came the preparaThis proved by

and "T. B."

encamping

for the night.

comparison rather cold;

for

the

thermometer

fell

only marked sixty-two degrees, having probably been some degrees lower On rising, the fact was announced during the night.

and

rapidly,

at sunrise

it

that scarcely any water was to be obtained on the

summit

;

so,

Malays had

welcome

as

it

would have been, the

to postpone the preparation of breakfast

until a descent

had been made

as far as

Gounong

Padang Batoo, the great granite mass we passed over on our way up. This want quickened the return, arduous as had been the climb up, the descent was comparatively easy, and we made such progress for,

that

Padang Batoo was reached by

half-past seven

;

THE DESCENT.

441

and the meal having been prepared, and a short halt made, we continued our progress down the mountain, and gained our

first

camping-ground at

Gummi by

half-past twelve.

At this point we rejoined the portion of the party who had found the ascent too arduous, with the little camp looking very welcome

after the toil of the last

It was determined to proceed no twenty-four hours. farther that day, and we remained here for the night, so as to be fresh for the long march on the morrow ;

when, starting

early,

we made

a double journey to

Ayer Panas, through Chabow and Jassing, parting from our Malay companions at their campong, where they had met us on our way. They had proved very friendly and helpful, and parted from us with plenty of good wishes expressed on either side.

Ayer Panas was reached at seven in the evening, and we proceeded to the Government bungaloh there, where we put up, and restored ourselves wonderfully after the long day's

march by indulging

in a bath in

the hot springs of the village, the effect of which upon our aching limbs was almost wonderful. The following morning saw us back in Malacca. By a careful comparison of two aneroid barometers

on the summit of Mount Ophir, we made the height a height above the sea-level to be 4000 feet

which does not correspond with that given by Newbold, who places it at 5693 feet, while Crawfurd

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

442

Mr. Wallace, however, who ascended the mountain some years previous to our own expedition, gives precisely the same result as it

gives

as

4300.

ourselves.

Future travellers who

may

wish to climb Mount

Ophir are recommended to make the attempt on the north side to post ponies to Jassing from Malacca ; ;

sleep the first night at Chabow, and procure the aid of the Punghulu of that place, who will provide a good

guide and

coolies, at

the rate of twenty-five cents a

The second night should be passed

day.

and the third

at

Gummi,

Gounong Padang Batoo, where there while Gounong Ledang, the is a sufficiency of water highest peak of Ophir, could be leisurely visited the at

;

next day. This short account of a hasty trip was written merely with the view of affording information to those

who might wish

to

spend ten days pleasantly at

Our visit was much too hurried to admit of more than a mere cursory inspection of the country, but it was sufficient to give evidence that a more Malacca,

leisurely examination of the

many

The

be taken in the endless

points of interest which present themselves would fully repay those who commanded plenty of time to attempt the ascent. interest that is sure to

traces,

round the

foot,

of gold

workings

which are modern, but many exhibiting greatest antiquity

some of

traces of the

affords plenty of food for considera-

FIELD FOE THE NATURALIST.

443

when

first

the search for the precious metal was commenced. To the naturalist generally, what-

ever

may be

tion as to

zoology

botany, geology, or there would appear to be a very wide field

for research.

his particular study

CHAPTEK XXXVII. The future of Perak Capital and labour Advance in civilisation The food-supply Convict labour A Malay saying Policy with the people Civilised Malays Sir James Brooke Wheeler Woodford Birch.

IN treating of the future of Perak many questions of policy arise, and after all, no single one is equal to that of precedent

;

for in the past

we have mapped

out for our guidance the smooth waters and the stormy seas, with the various rocks that have been the cause of

many

though, that

it is

a wreck.

It

must not be supposed,

intended here to inculcate solely the

and most anti-progressive policy for in managing fresh people, fresh plans must be grafted upon oldest

;

the old, so as to suit the circumstances of the case.

a great deal then to do for Perak and first and foremost must be the insuring to the country of

There

is

:

a good government, giving safety to the humblest coolie therein, as well as protection to those

in their property.

and Chinese labour

By

this

who

means European

bring

capital

open out the whole peninsula ; a country which, square mile for square mile, is one of will

THE PRESENT RULER OF PERAK

RAJAH YUSUF

AND HIS TWO

SONS.

CAPITAL AND LABOUR. the richest in mineral produce in the whole world. It is that its vast of time the course in undeveloped only

worked

but with this gradually increasing prosperity in the one state, a steady imresources can be

;

provement in the systems of the others must follow, so that in time the peninsula may become one vast even possible, and would probably tend greatly to the development of trade, if in the future efforts were made to try and open up a route to China through Siam, lying, as it field of British

commerce.

It is

between the peninsula and that vast empire while already it has been proposed to cut through the does,

;

Isthmus of Kra, which forms the neck, and so to secure water communication between the Bay of

Bengal and the Gulf of Siam.

At

the present time the cupidity of their chiefs,. and the fear of exciting their jealousy, prevent the

Malays from attempting to improve their condition, or raising any structure better than the ordinary hut,

They grow just sufficient for their wants, acquire one and it is only when they get near or two buffaloes the towns, and under the salutary British rule, that they ;

any way resembling comfort ; oppression has much to do with the

attain to a position in

and doubtless

this

careless indolent habits of too

many

of the people.

That they approve of the protection and example of British rule is constantly being shown.

Already in Laroot cases are tried magisterially, and there is a well-built prison to confine offenders

;

while the people

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

446

gladly seek the court, because they feel sure of justice a something that they find as novel as it is beneficial to

them

Again, they must see for themselves

all.

that they, the Malays of Perak, suffer

by comparison with their neighbours of Province "Wellesley, who, existing under British rule, are better fed, and live in

peace and content.

encouraging them

A

great deal may be done by to contribute to the resources of

own country by various agricultural pursuits, and by securing to them more freedom under their their

By this means a sure, advance may be made and one chiefs.

;

even though slow, certainly

more ad-

vantageous to the country than a wholesale annexa-

and bringing the territory under British rule. But much has yet to be done by the Government, who will have to give attention to the food-supply of

tion,

Then the works country before very long. connected with irrigation and water-supply for other

the

purposes will have to be taken in hand.

Water would

parts of Malacca into value,

bring many the barren fertile

;

by rendering and though some attention has been

given to the economical use of water in the Perak,

it

will

mines come

mines of

have to be further considered when the

to be extended.

Fortunately however the

only the question of storing and directing that has to be dealt with. great step in the direction of settling Perak

water

is

there

;

it is

A

anight have been taken most advantageously by the Government in encouraging the Indian convicts, now

CONVICT LABOUR.

447

on ticket-of-leave at Singapore, to go up the country, furnishing them with money for the purpose, and giving them tracts of land to cultivate.

For the most

part these men are agriculturists or herdsmen ; and by giving these settlers a start a great deal would have

been done to render them useful to the

state,

and give

while in making the place better, they would have been forming a nucleus to additional security to

life

;

which there would have been some encouragement

for

As it is, there is a natural reother people to flock. luctance amongst those who have all the desire to go and make themselves the pioneers of the new civilisation. These convicts, by the way, are the remainder left after the cessation of the receipt of settle to

Many of them prisoners at Singapore ten years ago. are Madrassees or Klings, and are now, for the most part, decent people, to

whom

the character of criminal

attaches merely as connected with old offences, expiated,

and

to a great extent condoned.

has taken time for the Malays who live under our government in the Settlements to become

As

it

acquainted with the justice of our laws, and the firm and equitable collection of the revenue, with protection to

and property religiously insured on all must we expect that in Perak, and such

life

hands, so

we may

take under our protection, there must be a great deal of tedious delay before we shall find the mass of the chiefs and people yield-

other native states as

ing due respect to the laws and institutions which are

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

448

so adverse to tlieir own,

and which

strike at the root

and advantage which accrue to them as It requires a display gained by fraud and oppression. of great judgment, with a large amount of temper and of the profit

patience,

on the part of those who are deputed to the

carrying out of these important duties ; so that more by example and suasion, than by the exercise of coercion,

they should carry on their intercourse with the

Malays.

According to the Malay saying nanti-palla-han the lizard gives the fly time to say its prayers before he makes his final spring to devour his prey

;

and setting aside the

seizure of the prey, this

must be

our policy with the Malays; we must give them time deal with them firmly but gently, and all

be argued that we gave the Turks time, and what has been the result ? If we had

will be well.

It

may

kept them to their Constitution which, it is true, was given under pressure it is possible that there would

The Malays have been punished for their gross outrage and this being at an end, now what is necessary is to insure them good

not have been this bloodshed.

;

government, and then give them time, when there is no fear but that in Perak and other states we may

have as loyal and trustworthy a set of people as now exist in Province Wellesley and Malacca, and in the

towns of Singapore and Penang. By encouragement and teaching, the Malays are

POLICY WITH THE PEOPLE.

449

not incapable of being led on to industrious pursuits but even in this the giving-time policy should be adopted, and they should at first be allowed to derive ;

from their produce in the way that comes most natural to them, and in accordance with their customs profit

There exists no reason why generations past. the Malay should not become in all points a good citizen; and though he may not possess the native

for

intelligence of the Chinese as a trader

and

artisan,

nor the shrewd cleverness of the Kling in his business and monetary transactions, he will be found no

whit behind them in agricultural pursuits ; and both in Perak and elsewhere, as he gradually learns the value of our institutions, he will follow in the foot-

countrymen who are now our and than whom none could be more

steps of those of his fellow-subjects,

loyal

and devoted to the British Crown.

It is questionable whether great blame does not attach to us as a nation for the little we have done

during our long

occupation

of

the

settlements of

Penang, Malacca, and Singapore, towards the pacification and improvement of the states on the peninsula.

We

content to merely draw from them the products that suit us in trade, while so long as the commerce was in a flourishing condition, the improvement of the people and the introduction

have been too

often

of the arts of civilisation were neglected.

perhaps held back on

political

We

have

grounds, and from 2 a

"SARONG" AND "KElS."

450

the fear that

if

we became entangled

we should

question/'

either

in the " native

have to retreat with

loss

of prestige, or have to carry out a policy which would drive out the native chiefs and government, but

would necessarily only be

effected by resort to arms, a of force which would either by display cast a burden upon the Settlements which they could

or at least

ill

upon the imperial revenues a state which the British taxpayer would readily

afford, or fall

of affairs to object.

The medium policy of placing an English

Kesident at the native

courts,

common on

so

the

continent of India, was never undertaken, singularly enough, when the Settlements were under Indian rule

;

and when attempted but two years ago in Perak

led to disastrous consequences for the time, the out-

come of causes which were, however,

preventible.

In

Salangore, on the contrary, as in other states, it has hitherto been continued with marked success; and if

in the future

we

are judicious,

and avoid taking

steps which might lead the people to believe that we intended to meddle with their established cus-

points upon which they are extremely jealous the resident system will doubtless be of interference

toms

carried on in Perak with equally

The

effect

good results. of such a mild form of policy will not

only be vastly advantageous to ourselves, in bringing a large mass of people into a more civilised state, and

opening up to our commerce the mineral and other

SIR JAMES BROOKE.

451

wealth of this country ; but we shall be able o take to ourselves the satisfaction of having at least done our duty in bringing no inconsiderable portion of the earth's surface rule,

under the benign influence of British

and within the reach of that Christian truth

without which no people can be fully the spread of whose knowledge

and glory In the

made

to foster

it is

civilised,

and

Britain's privilege

and encourage.

earlier chapters of this

work

allusion

was

Mr. Muntinghe's commission at Palembang, which was due to his want of knowledge of the Malay character, and too great eagerness to ento the failure of

force a novel system that,

in Java,

whom

though perhaps admirable

was utterly unsuited to the people amongst

he wished

it

to take root.

Contrast with this

the excellent management, in his successful dealing with the people, of one whom the writer is proud of

being able to say he could James Brooke, of Sarawak. this English gentleman,

call

a friend

the late Sir

Singly and unaided did

animated from

first

to last

by

the highest motives, gain the respect and affection of

^very Malay with whom he was brought in contact, both among the chiefs and the people. Fear of

Mm

existed

only in the hearts of those who, in to his mild counsel and sugges-

direct opposition

tions, persistently

endeavoured to maintain a system

of cruel piracy and oppression. Even, however, in last he with these tempered his justice with dealing

"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

452

mercy, knowing full well that time is necessary for the eradication of a national vice ; and that it would

be simple madness to attempt to change, as by the touch of a wizard's wand, that which had been the of

growth

in

centuries

other

words, the

whole

character of a nation. Sir

Andrew

Clarke,

when Governor

Settlements, was animated by a similar his wise policy,

government in

of the Straits

and, by and way good Perak; and had he not been sum-

paved the

spirit,

for peace

moned away that

many

had

place.

to a higher appointment, it is probable of the troubles in Perak would not have

He was

possessed of a wonderful faculty

of dealing with the natives, whom he won to his side by his frankness and openness of manner, through

which, though, always shone firmness of character, mingled with a high sense of justice, and that which is

due from

man

to

man.

He was

in favour of the Besi-

dent principle the presence with a native ruler of one who would advise and lead towards right, without

seeming to control, and always exerting for good with both chiefs and people. This

is

his influence

undoubtedly the course that should be

followed out, and the various chiefs taught how to increase the value of their country by good government and improvement, as they invited co-operation

by making

life

and property

safe.

For, given such a

an adcountry and such a people, by good advice,

WHEELER WOODFORD

BIRCH.

453

be brought about similar to those of Johore and Quedah, where, from their contiguity to

ministration

our

may

has permeated their own ; and in have native princes ruling by our

civilisation, this

we

consequence laws,

and keeping down the

evil principles

of their

with magistrates, stations, regular trials, and convict gaols, while on the other hand peace and prosThis has been the perity have a permanent reign. states,

result of time,

and of letting the people see and learn the

value of our institutions, the chiefs' power increasing with the progress of their land.

must never be forgotten that whatever may be the future of Perak, and however In conclusion,

great a position countries,

it

it

it

may

the attention of our state for

For

reach in the scale of civilised

was the death of one man that

drew

fully to the

development and ultimate prosperity.

its

these, he

home Government

first

who

of its literally acted as the pioneer

civilisation unceasingly toiled

;

falling,

for

dawning of that day of progress

though, in the

which he had

when

the bright sun of western the waving palms of light was beginning to brighten so earnestly laboured,

this far distant forest land.

never cease to bewail his

Though there

loss,

his family will is

a mournful

knowing that he laid the foundation of a better government in Perak and that as our satisfaction in

;

influence over the peninsula

memory

still

will ever be associated

further extends, his

with the advance and

"SARONG" AND

454

civilisation of this portion of

while those

"

KKIS."

Her

Majesty's domains

who loved him can always

say

the progress of Perak thoroughly at heart, and prosperity was the work- of J.

WHEELER WOODFORD

BIRCH.

FINIS.

CHARLES DICKENS AND BVANS, CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS.

;

He had its

100

Dinc.

BINDING LIST SEP

1

1944

University of Toronto

Library

to CD

DO NOT REMOVE

I <

to

O


H


T3

$* .! O

11 ^ O H

P-

THE

CARD FROM THIS

POCKET

cd

1 cx to CO

CD

aiH

S^

Acme

Library Card Pocket

LOWE-MARTIN CO.

LIMITED